Nobody By Any Chance Ever Observes
by Naite-Laef
Summary: After losing his arm at the Cell Games, Chi-Chi keeps her eldest son close over the next seven years. Itching for freedom, Gohan convinces his mom to let him attend high school in Satan City. Things aren't half bad until one of his classmates decides to get close to him- and for all the wrong reasons.
1. Chapter 1: School

Gohan skillfully manoeuvred his belt around his waist with a single hand.

In the immediate weeks following the loss of his left arm, it seemed as though he would never fully recover. Struggling through menial tasks like struggling to dress himself proved frustrating enough, but the self-deprecation only worsened the harder his mother tried to help him. The biggest issues quickly became apparent as Piccolo convinced him to keep training in an effort to adapt to his new body. The alterations to his fighting style helped to accommodate not only the pre-teen's sudden growth spurts, but to also combat his lackluster balance and the complete loss of primary defence on his left side.

However, seven years later, he had to admit he was fairly content with how his life had turned out.

"Mom," he said, exasperated. "I can do it myself!" He clasped his belt buckle shut as his mother hovered nearby, one hand outstretched in eagerness to assist her disabled son. A withering look from Chi-Chi immediately silenced him. "Son Gohan, I don't care how big you are, or how powerful you become." She leaned up to kiss his forehead. "You will always be my baby boy!"

While he appreciated the sentiment, along with all of the sacrifices she'd made for him and his brother over the years, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by her overprotective behaviour. "I know Mom, but seriously, I can put my own pants on," he told her.

Ignoring his long-standing pleas against pity, the woman gathered the stack of books on his desk into his bookbag. "Listen, I know a diploma will look much better on your college applications than the homeschool examination test score," she started. "But if you end up changing your mind-"

"Mom-"

"Hush!" She scolded. "If you change your mind, I don't mind homeschooling you again, alright? Promise me you'll let me know if things get too hard."

He nodded, knowing that letting him out of sight was a big adjustment for his mother to make. "I promise."

Seemingly satisfied, she let him take the yellow messenger bag from her. He slung it around his thick torso, following closely behind his mother as she led him to the front door.

"I hope you have a good day, honey. And don't forget to pick up Goten from Capsule Corp later," she told him. "I love you, Gohan."

"I love you too, Mom," he said, the sincerity washing away any lingering traces of aggravation. He ran out of their small capsule home and launched himself into the air, the cool breeze instantly calming his nerves.

Ever since the Cell Games had ended with Goku's death, Gohan's injury, and an unplanned pregnancy, Chi-Chi had taken a new outlook on life. She seemed to value happiness more than ever, going far out of her comfort zone to give her children fulfilling lives. She no longer pushed Gohan to be a scholar, and she certainly didn't push Goten to be one, either. Instead, she trained her youngest child in martial arts, and she encouraged her eldest to take breaks and to have as much downtime as he could.

Yet despite Chi-Chi letting her hair down, both figuratively and literally, Gohan couldn't help but feel more trapped than ever.

When the damage to his arm couldn't be wished away with the Dragon Balls, Dende had concluded that any havoc Cell had wreaked on this dimension couldn't be undone to the bioandroid's impermanence in this timeline.

Cell wasn't of their world. He was of a different future's world, and therefore could not be changed by their new Shenron (and by extension of their connection, could not be healed by Dende). The other Z-Fighters had argued for Gohan to find New Namek and to see if Porunga could fix his wound; however, Gohan had adamantly refused.

Before Cell's death, Cell had spat up everyone he had originally consumed. The beam that had been sent through Future Trunks' chest had been immediately repaired thanks to Krillin's quick thinking with the senzu beans. Goku had specifically asked to remain dead. With peace and balance restored to Earth once more, Gohan felt it would be wrong to abuse another world's dragon balls for his own selfish purpose.

Vegeta had survived. Gohan had no regrets about saving the man's life, even if the beam meant for Vegeta had instead blown the child's own arm off. And thus, when a senzu bean had merely cauterized the wound instead of regrowing the entire limb, Gohan had been forced to move on.

His empty sleeve fluttered through the wind as he neared his destination, the boy lost in thought. Satan City came into view, and Gohan touched down in an empty park as to not arouse suspicion from any passersby. It had taken a lot to convince his mom to enroll him in Orange Star High School. He knew he was loved, but he also knew that she coddled him far beyond what was necessary.

He needed a taste of freedom- normal, human teenager freedom- and this was the master plan Krillin had helped him concoct.

The half-Saiyan approached the large school campus, situated almost directly in the centre of the metropolis. He quickly took in his appearance with help from a hover car's reflective window, double-checking the badge pinned to the front of his shirt.

With a deep breath and an anxious smile, Gohan strode through the main entrance..

"So, what happened to your arm?" she immediately asked, eyes narrowed.

Gohan's mouth went dry. All he had said was hello, but this girl apparently wasn't one for pleasantries.

"Videl!" A blonde girl gasped, horrified. Her voice soon dropped to a whisper, as if not wanting to further embarrass the new student by scolding her friend within earshot. However, she didn't know just how good a half-Saiyan's hearing could be. "You can't just ask people why they're missing limbs! Show a little compassion for once, would you?"

Thinking it best to brush off the first girl's rude comment, Gohan gave an awkward laugh. "Ah, well, my name is Gohan," he said. "What are your names?"

"I'm Erasa," the blonde immediately replied, a smile gracing her features once more. "You've already met Videl. Sorry, she's just a little… blunt."

Once Videl's eyes had moved from the discreet stump of Gohan's upper arm, her piercing blue eyes never left his face. He had known her for half a minute, and yet he already felt extremely uncomfortable in her presence.

"And this is our friend Sharpener," Erasa finished, pointing to a blonde man on the other side of Videl. He appeared to be ignoring them all in favour of his cell phone, as he hadn't once glanced in Gohan's direction.

"What a start," the new student thought grimly. "But at least the day can't get any worse."

"Anyway," Erasa continued, "Can you guess who Videl's dad is?"

"Huh?" Gohan said, shaken from his thoughts. Upon closer inspection, Videl certainly didn't look familiar. "Who's her dad?"

"Mr. Satan himself," Sharpener finally spoke, tilting his chin toward Gohan. The boy's amber eyes roamed over the new kid for a second, only to resume his disinterested attitude once more at Gohan's casual reaction.

"Oh," Gohan mumbled, nonchalant. At Videl and Erasa's quizzical looks, he cleared his throat and said a little louder, "Well, that's pretty cool, I guess!" He gave a nervous chuckle.

"Let me guess," Videl drawled. "Another fan?"

"Well," he said, choosing his words carefully, "I'm a fan of martial arts."

"Oh, maybe Videl could show you a few moves after school! Like for self-defence. How about it, Videl?" Erasa asked, turning to her best friend.

At the same time, both Videl and Gohan said, "No!"

Surprised, Videl and Gohan made eye contact once more. "What, don't have any faith in my abilities, new kid?" She snarled. "Is it because I'm small, or is it because I'm a girl?"

"Neither, actually," Gohan said quickly, scratching the back of his neck out of habit. "It's just that I'm not… I'm not looking for a martial artist to learn from. That's all." Though deceiving potential friends wasn't ideal, he quietly reminded himself that this wasn't a total lie. He didn't need to look for a master when he already had Piccolo, who helped him train every other day.

Satisfied with that answer, Erasa simply turned to the front of the class as their next teacher arrived. Videl shifted her gaze to the blackboard as well, but her thoughts never strayed from the strange boy a seat away.

After all, what self-respecting martial arts fan doesn't perk up at the sound of Hercule Satan's name?

He was the last one out of the locker room. While the coach excused his tardiness without hesitation, with none-too-subtle glances at his left side, Gohan actually had more trouble because of his chosen location. Instead of undressing in the locker room's main changing area, he had chosen to replace his clothes in a cramped bathroom stall. The idea was to keep the other boys from openly gawking at his arm, but he would have to rethink that plan since he didn't want to be late to gym class every day.

"Alright, Videl and Sharpener, the usual. This is our last day of baseball, so make it count, kids," their coach yelled.

Unsurprisingly, Gohan was the last to be picked. "Just make sure you're at the back of the line to bat, alright?" Videl grumbled. Sharpener passed her with a snicker, and she shot him a glare. Turning back to her half-Saiyan teammate, she elaborated on the strange companionship. "Sharpener and I always have a bet going," she explained. "When we do team sports in gym, the losing team captain buys the winning captain some lunch."

"Ah, okay," Gohan said, hoping he wouldn't have to show off his powers regardless. That would without a doubt give his mother a reason to pull him out of school.

Nearly an hour later, Videl crushed her baseball cap in one hand and threw it to the ground from her position on second base. Sharpener had quickly struck out two of her team's best players. And now the coach, in an attempt at inclusivity, had asked Gohan to bat next. This was the last inning of the class period, and the team needed every advantage they could get in order to break the tie.

"Not like that's gonna happen," Videl growled to herself, digging one heel further into the dirt next to her base. It's not like she could make it to home plate now, anyway.

Gohan tested his grip with the bat in one hand. He took a tentative swing once to test its weight in his hand before stepping up to home plate, ignoring the smug looks the other team was already sending his way.

"Just do your best, okay, Son?" The coach called to him. With a nod in reply, Gohan turned his attention to the pitcher's mound. Sharpener sported a cocky grin as he wound up his arm and sent a fastball headed directly for Gohan's crotch. Irritated, Gohan dropped the bat and caught the 90 mph ball with ease, prompting surprise from everyone on the field.

"Try aiming a little higher next time, please?" Gohan politely called before throwing the ball back. Sharpener stumbled as the ball hit his glove, his wide palm stinging from the impact. The blonde jock hissed in pain, but gritted his teeth to mask further signs of discomfort. He could already feel a bruise forming, and he felt foolish that a nerdy cripple could hurt him so easily.

"You want higher?" He muttered. "I'll give you higher…"

Another throw sent the ball soaring toward Gohan's face, who decided to flick it away with a lazy wrist movement. A loud crack resounded as the ball made contact with the wooden bat, and the one-armed teen bounded around the baseball diamond in long strides. Sharpener's team scrambled to catch the ball, with everyone completely caught off guard by the hit. As Videl made it to home plate, the ball disappeared over the field's chain link fence. Groans of displeasure resounded through the ranks, and Videl found herself staring at the tall teen now running toward her. His foot touched home plate, and he promptly slowed to walk around her. She turned, noticing as he passed that he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Despite the unsettling feeling taking shape in her gut, Videl forced herself to let it go for the sake of their victory- for now, at least. Her instincts told her to chase after the boy and ask him about the seemingly impossible display of athleticism, but she instead decided that a more passive approach would do for now. She would simply observe the stranger from afar in secret.

With a slow exhale, the girl made her way toward a livid Sharpener.


	2. Chapter 2: Party

Vegeta snarled as Goten bumped into him, nearly knocking the older man's plate from his hands.

"Watch it, brat!" he shouted. Seeing his son following close behind, Vegeta moved to intercept the older boy.

"Dad!" Trunks whined, craning his neck from behind his father's legs to catch sight of his best friend. "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving you from your mother's wrath, child," Vegeta growled. "Don't run near the grill, or else you won't be playing video games anytime in the foreseeable future. Go find something else to do with Kakarot's youngest brat."

Eyes wide, Trunks quickly nodded and raced out of his father's sight.

Krillin chuckled as he flipped another burger. "I've got to say, Vegeta," he laughed. "You're a pretty good father."

The Saiyan man merely grunted in reply, dismissing the shorter man's opinion without care. Vegeta continued to stack his plate high with grilled meats before moving to the other side of the indoor courtyard, away from his wife's guests.

The new indoor pool installed on the top floor of Capsule Corp had prompted Bulma to throw a small get-together. With the very top portion of the CC dome suddenly retractable, she had decided that freshly grilled food would ensure Vegeta's participation.

"And as always, I was right," she thought, a small smile touching her painted lips.

With the youngest pair of half-Saiyans now out of sight, Bulma reclined on her lounge chair. With the grill no longer in danger of exploding from any accidental use of energy manipulation, Chi-Chi also felt the tension drain from her muscles as she waded into the water. Despite its warmth, she still shivered in her conservative, yellow swimsuit. Tien sat on the edge of the pool, pant legs rolled up to get his feet wet. His wife, Launch, swam with Chiaotzu nearby, her dark blue hair heavy with water as she chatted.

Yamcha, Puar, and Gohan found themselves floating in the pool, happy to be in the fresh air while avoiding direct sunlight. Little Marron and her mother, Android 18, sat in the shallow end. Conversation flowed with ease as the Z-Fighters caught up on what everyone else had been up to for the past year. Even Piccolo had come, albeit in the off-chance that anything truly newsworthy would happened. The Namekian sat cross-legged on one of the roof's exposed panels, just barely visible in silhouette to the others below.

"So, I hear you started high school," Yamcha drawled, giving Gohan a wink. "Meet any cute girls, yet?"

"Jeez, Yamcha, I just started yesterday," Gohan complained, promptly avoiding the scarred man's mischievous look. The boy shrugged, fighting the nervous thoughts flitting around in his head.

"Well, that's not a no," the older man said with a grin, leaning back against the blue and yellow tiles bordering the pool's perimeter.

"I mean, there's this one girl in my class," Gohan said off-handedly, "but she's a little insane. I mean, she tried to follow me home yesterday and today!"

"Whoa," Yamcha said, eyes widening. "Sounds like she's got the hots for you! You gonna go after her?"

"Even if I did want to, which I most certainly do not," Gohan stressed, feeling his face grow hot, "it turns out she's Mr. Satan's daughter."

That caught the attention of the room.

"Wait, did you just say Mr. Satan has a daughter?" Krillin shouted, nearly dropping his barbeque spatula.

"What a small world," 18 quipped from nearby, distaste written across her stoic features. "It seems as though she's Gohan's classmate."

Murmurs of surprise and displeasure arose from the gang of warriors.

"Ugh! That man," Chi-Chi seethed. "He's always bad mouthing my Goku!"

Marron stopped splashing around to listen. "Is that the man with the silly afro?" She asked innocently.

The subsequent round of laughter was quickly interrupted with a huge splash, followed by Gohan's head being shoved underwater. When the teen's head broke the surface, he sputtered and coughed while Goten levitated from the water. "Catch me if you can!" He shouted with glee.

"That's it, squirt!" Gohan yelled, launching himself out of the pool with just his arm. "I'm going to-"

He broke off as Trunks swooped in from behind him and pulled the teenager's blue swimming trunks down, exposing Gohan to the entire room and nearly tripping the older boy in the process.

Goten and Trunks practically flew out the door, snickering at the success of their new game, and the rest of the gang couldn't help but laugh as well. Except for Marron, who had screamed when 18 wasn't quite quick enough in shielding her daughter's view.

Mortified, Gohan tried to pull his shorts up, but the smooth fabric against his wet thighs made it difficult with just one hand. In a panic, the boy also flew from the room, enticing good-natured chuckles and a few awkward groans from the adults.

Gasping for air, the 18-year-old grappled with his pants in a nearby guest bedroom, his heart racing wildly. He was so completely and utterly embarrassed. All of his oldest friends had just seen him naked- even his mother! And the thought of the other women present was enough to make him flush all over again as he remembered how he wasn't able to even partially cover himself. He only felt worse as the cry of Krillin's 3-year-old daughter echoed in his head.

After a full minute of fumbling, his only piece of clothing slid back up his pelvis, secured once more with two ends of a drawstring. Instead of going back out to the gang, the teen decided some sulking wouldn't be uncalled for. Not wanting to get the guest room any more wet than necessary, he seated himself on a wooden chair in the corner of the small room. Hardly a few minutes later, he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Gohan?" Bulma's voice called.

Before he could answer, the party's hostess had granted herself entry and closed the door behind her. "You doing okay, kiddo?"

"I'm going to kill them," Gohan grumbled, not daring to make eye contact with her. Bulma pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she took a seat on the bed, across from her almost-nephew.

"Well, if you don't, Krillin and 18 just might," she said with a shrug. "I'm sure you made quite an impression on Marron."

"Bulma," Gohan groaned. "And here I thought you had come to cheer me up."

"Sorry hun, but I can't cheer you up if I don't know what's wrong," she said gently. "Is there something else bothering you, Gohan? You looked a little put out even when Yamcha was talking to you."

He sighed, after a moment's hesitation. "Kind of," he said, reluctantly. "I was telling him that there's this girl at school-"

"A girl?" Bulma's squealed, pouncing on the information, not realizing he was talking about the aforementioned Videl Satan. "Have you asked her out yet?"

"It's not like that, Bulma!" He retorted, waving his hand in defence. "Just let me finish."

He eyed his friend as she visibly tried to calm down. Once settled, he continued.

"The moment she saw me, she asked about my arm."

"...Oh."

"Yeah. And then in gym, I had to change in the bathroom, and then nobody wanted me on their team, and- I don't know," he admitted. "I guess it's just that, while I know it's not ideal, I kind of got used to living like this. You guys got used to this. And now suddenly I'm surrounded by people I don't know and all these old wounds are opening up again."

The Briefs mother nodded. "I get what you mean," she added softly. "You know I would offer you a prosthetic, but-"

"Yeah, I know," he said. "I already showed up to school and it would just draw more attention to myself to randomly gain a limb."

"Actually, I was going to bring up the issue of your powers," Bulma said.

"What do you mean?" He frowned, not following her train of thought.

"After you initially lost your arm, I began working on a prototype for a new kind of prosthetic. Yes, despite how rare amputations are in this day and age, several medical prosthetics do already exist. But the issue with you in particular is your Saiyan genetics," she revealed. "Any prosthetic you use would need to endure anything else your body can endure- which is nearly impossible to replicate. I mean, you've seen how often Vegeta destroys the gravity room, not to mention how many training bots he goes through daily. I just wasn't able to build something to keep up with a Saiyan in general, not to even mention your raw potential."

She crossed her legs, lost in thought. "I got close once, but I just didn't want to disappoint you," she mumbled. "Not so soon after Cell."

"Wait," Gohan said, sitting up straighter. "Do you still have it?"

At Bulma's questioning look, he elaborated. "Well you see, there was a bank robbery on my way to school this morning. I wanted to help protect the bystanders since the police couldn't seem to handle it. But I had to make myself turn away because I'm just too recognizable with one arm," he said, his speech picking up pace as he grew more excited. "So maybe if you keep working on the prototype, I can wear it to fight crime. And if I turn Super Saiyan while I'm at it-"

"You'd be a totally new person," Bulma finished. She understood that Gohan needed to keep his powers completely under wraps.

"Exactly!"

"But you're forgetting what I just said," she gently reprimanded, poking his bare chest. "If you so much as try to catch yourself from falling using that arm, you could end up crushing it like paper. It can't withstand your strength."

"But what if it was just for show?" He asked, smile unwavering. "I shouldn't have any problem taking out common criminals with just one arm. They're only humans, after all- they don't pose a challenge to me. The second arm would just be for show. It would just build the illusion that I'm a different person entirely."

"I actually have the prototype still in my personal lab somewhere," she said, thinking. "And honestly, as long as you don't actually use it, it should work just fine for display. If I built one to match your specific body type, people wouldn't think twice about it. Maybe I could even rebuild the skin with a more bulletproof material, you know, just to be sure-"

Gohan nodded his enthusiasm as she rambled on for a bit, spontaneously demonstrating her unparalleled genius in science and engineering.

After nearly half an hour, she hauled the boy up and demanded that he escort her to her lab. He agreed, following her into the hallway and reaching to close the door behind him.

"Oh, and Bulma?" He asked.

"Yes?"

"What's this room for? Aren't the guest bedrooms usually on the first floor?"

The genius smirked. "We're switching gears pretty soon...a new project, so to speak."

Before he could ask what she meant with such a vague remark, he felt his arm jolt as she half-dragged him to the elevator.

Once in the lift, she turned to face him, her head tilted up in thought. "And… If you're gonna play superhero, shouldn't you dress the part as well?"

He grinned.


	3. Chapter 3: News

She swore.

Videl had already beaten the snot out of two criminals, their handguns knocked swiftly to the side and out of reach. They were now slouched against the ruby walls of the upscale restaurant, unconscious.

"Ah," a third man spoke, his rifle poking into the girl's back. "So the junior world champion finally makes an appearance."

"What do you want?" She growled. "Actually, I don't care what you want. Just let the other hostages go and I'll be happy to not completely pound your face in."

He laughed. "You're in no position to be making demands, but I suppose you make a good point." The boss waved a hand toward the last remaining goon, who immediately shuffled over. "Get the old moneybags out of here," he commanded, referring to the well-dressed customers cowering against one wall of the large dining room. "And let our dear police chief know we have his ace."

Before the young lackey could move, a blur of golden light knocked him over. The front door flew off its hinges as Gohan forced his way into the establishment.

The older man tightened his grip on Videl, his gun still painfully pushed into her lower back while one hand pulled her closer to him via her long hair. He recoiled in anger at the golden intruder.

"What-"

The middle-aged man tumbled backwards, skidding to a stop nearly fifteen feet away. He stuttered incoherently, an angry welt forming in the centre of his forehead. Videl blinked at the leader of the Red Shark Gang before her vision refocused again. Turning back to her saviour, she tried to process the sight before her.

Two fingers still extended from flicking the criminal away, Gohan stood tall and fierce. His large frame was formidable on its own, the skin-tight, black bodysuit doing nothing to obscure his insane musculature. White gloves and boots contrasted sharply with the dark suit, almost giving him an air of sophistication. However, Videl felt more taken aback by the glowing, golden hair that stood straight up, seemingly moving in an invisible breeze. The deep red cape locked around his shoulders also fluttered softly, painting him a picture of power, despite the colour clashing horribly with the green sash hugging his narrow waist.

The Super Saiyan lowered his right arm and glanced toward Videl. His burning turquoise eyes softened as their eyes locked, and Videl couldn't help but feel a strange sense of deja vu numb her. Pushing the feeling of familiarity aside, she stiffened.

"And just what the hell are you doing here?" she shouted, refusing to acknowledge how the gang leader had snuck up on her. "I had the situation completely understand control!"

The hostages, caught off guard by this new development, looked at one another. In answer to their silent question, Videl continued her tirade.

"Get out of here! I'm on official police business," she spat.

"Last time I checked," Gohan rumbled, trying to deepen his voice so she wouldn't recognize him. "Humans aren't bulletproof."

The teenage girl sputtered, merely enraged further. "Oh, and you are?"

Just then, the last remaining henchman had fired his pistol at Gohan's head, able to recover swiftly thanks to Videl's distraction. As if in response to her question, the superhero didn't dodge, allowing the bullet to ricochet off the side of his exposed forehead before catching it.

The air was thick with stunned silence as Gohan turned slightly to face his attacker. Without further prompting, the man quickly surrendered, slamming his knees into the ground with his hands in the air. "Please don't hurt me!" He added fearfully, for good measure.

Taking this as their cue, the hostages gathered their wits and ran out the front door, flooding the entrance and preventing any officers from coming inside.

"Let me guess," Videl scowled. Though still slightly in awe of his inhuman feats, she wouldn't let him see the effect it had had on her. "You have handcuffs on you, too?" When she received an awkward shrug in response, she merely rolled her eyes. Unhooking a pair from her waist, she moved toward the crook. As soon as she was within arm's reach, the man broke his jacket open, revealing an intricate bomb strapped to his chest.

The handcuffs clattered to the floor as he slapped the red button in the centre of the device.

The explosion sounded distant, but she didn't feel hurt. Opening her eyes, Videl gasped upon realizing she now hovered nearly a hundred feet in the air. Coming to grips with reality, she felt a pair of strong hands wrapped around her waist.

"Are you okay?" Gohan whispered, his concern made painfully clear.

While Videl still felt annoyed, she couldn't deny that she had almost been burnt to a crisp. But pressed tightly against a hard chest, she felt claustrophobic, and she only gave him a shaky nod before demanding to be put down.

He stood on a rooftop some distance away, watching carefully as Videl escorted the unconscious culprits out of the charred building. Firefighters and police officers filed out behind her with a body bag.

With a sigh, the glowing fighter pinched a button on his watch. His costume dematerialized with a brief burst of light, and he promptly dropped his Super form. Not a moment later, Son Gohan the High School Student stood in his place, black eyes travelling down his body to make sure the robotic arm had disappeared with the suit as well. Satisfied, he shot into the clouds, reasonably confident he could still get to school on time.

Though in the back of his mind, he questioned why he hadn't tried to strip the vest off the bomber and fly it away. His decision made Videl's safety a priority, but in turn, had cost someone their life. Despite knowing the man had obviously been okay with dying, it stung Gohan to know that he had been too late to save someone once again.

Videl was late again.

She spent the day sulking, her bad mood permeating the thick air around her. No one looked at her, and no one talked to her, save Erasa and Sharpener. Even Gohan knew she still looked upset, and so he stayed clear of her as well. He couldn't, however, totally ignore the glances she occasionally sent his way.

"There's no way she could suspect me," he thought, the grip on his pencil tightening imperceptibly. "Right?"

Putting down the splintered writing utensil, he took a calming breath.

He had already mentally beat himself up earlier for not introducing his superhero persona. The whole school was now referring to him as The Gold Fighter, and Gohan was fairly bummed that he had wasted all that time thinking up "The Great Saiyaman" for nothing. Still, maybe it was for the best that he hadn't spoken to Videl more as his alter ego. She already looked suspicious, despite Bulma and him already thinking through every possible plot hole.

The students were already packing up their book bags when a sharp rap on their teacher's desk grabbed their attention.

"You are dismissed when I dismiss you, and not a second sooner," she said sternly. "There are still five minutes left, and I have a very important announcement to make. It pertains to a field trip, so listen closely."

The elderly woman smiled smugly as she commanded the eyes of every teenager in the room. "Yes, I thought so," she chuckled. "Now, our class has been chosen for a very special opportunity. The first of its kind, in fact. You all will be the guinea pigs of the first ever Capsule Corp Mentorship Program."

Cheers and gasps dotted the classroom, and Gohan visibly paled. "What?" He couldn't help but shout. Several students cast him curious glances, though many seemed unsurprised that the boy genius would be excited to visit the technological headquarters of the world. Videl, however, couldn't help but notice his tense posture and worried eyes.

"Yes, Mr. Son," the teacher drawled. "I am just as surprised by this development. I'm not sure why your specific class of slackers has been chosen for this pilot program, but I can't say I'm dissatisfied. After all, I will be chaperoning, so I'll get to meet Mrs. Briefs as well."

She pulled a stack of green papers from her corduroy briefcase and began distributing them to the first row.

Whispers cut through the class about potentially meeting Bulma's Briefs. Some commended her intelligence or her smooth leadership as a strong woman in a male-dominated field. Others only made comments pertaining to her shapely appearance. Gohan rolled his eyes, promising himself he would keep a careful eye on Bulma while she housed his perverted classmates.

"You will be staying overnight at CC's newest guest facilities for one week. You'll learn the basics of the business, how research and development are conducted, and you'll of course learn about the newest products on the market. Further details are included on this permission slip, which I'll need to have back by the end of the week."

As Gohan stuffed his permission slip into his backpack, vowing to never let it see the light of day, his teacher crushed his last hope for normalcy.

"And of course, since this is such a big deal, your parents have already been informed by phone as of this morning."

Videl couldn't stop thinking about the Gold Fighter. There's no way a bullet had bounced off his head. That was impossible! Surely it was just a trick of the light.

She munched on some celery, largely ignoring Erasa's rant about how dreamy the Gold Fighter looked in the news.

"Tricks," Videl thought to herself. But that flying bit where he had saved her… that was no trick. He could really fly! There were no wires to be seen, and certainly no giant cranes nearby to hold him up. That had been far too real for her to stomach. Much like the taste of burnt flesh resurfacing in her throat.

She gulped down her protein shake, hoping the strong artificial flavour would distract her.

"And have you seen that jumpsuit, Videl?" Erasa drooled. "It leaves so little to the imagination if you catch my drift…"

"Get real," Sharpener said, unable to stomach the topic of conversation any longer. "If you want to look at a real man, look no further." He wiggled his eyebrows at Videl, seeking confirmation.

"Seriously Erasa, he's just some phoney!" Videl said, ignoring Sharpener's bait for once. "He's not even that good looking. He's just some… trickster. And I'm gonna find out who he is if it's the last thing I do."

"Oh, come on. Why can't you just leave him alone?" She complained. "He's super cute, and he saved you! I don't see anything wrong with the guy."

"He doesn't belong here," Videl scowled. "This is my city to protect, not his. And if running him out of town is what it takes to protect everyone from some super-powered creep, then that's exactly what I intend on doing."

Clenching her fists, Videl abruptly excused herself from the table. She had a lot of thinking to do.

The next day, Gohan walked in rubbing his head.

"You okay?" Erasa questioned, standing up to try and view the apparent injury.

"Oh, it's nothing," Gohan assured her. "I just… hit my head last night."

"On a frying pan," he mentally added, recalling the conversation after dinner. He hadn't been able to reason with his mother in being excused from the school trip. He even had a nagging suspicion that his mother had somehow arranged the program with Bulma, just to have an extra pair of eyes on him. Either way, he had a bump on his head and a signed permission slip in his backpack.

"You're so secretive," Videl said plainly. "What are you hiding?"

Erasa blinked as her best friend appeared out of nowhere, taking a seat beside her. Gohan shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. "What do you mean?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not hiding anything."

"Yeah, like that nervous tick of yours isn't a dead giveaway," she said, rolling her dark blue eyes in frustration. Videl had struggled to play the long game over the past few days, but her new classmate was obviously intent on keeping his life private. Patience running thin, she told him, "Give it up already! Who says you get to keep secrets when the rest of us live openly and honestly?"

Quickly biting his tongue, Gohan didn't respond. She was the last person who could lecture him on living honestly, due to Mr. Satan orchestrating possibly the biggest scam in human history. Yet he held the words back, not wanting to tear down her entire world. She deserved better, no matter how rude or entitled she could act.

Still waiting for a response, Videl leaned over Erasa and practically stared down Gohan from a few inches away. The boy grew frazzled, hyper aware of her proximity. He desperately tried to keep his head level as he looked at the blackboard, waiting for their teacher to arrive. After what felt like an eternity, Videl sat back in her chair.

"You can't hide forever," she warned.


	4. Chapter 4: Trip

Two weeks later, he found himself exhausted. As promised, Videl hadn't given him any room for error. She had stalked Gohan, harassed the Gold Fighter, and had been breathing down both of their necks non-stop.

He now stood outside his school, the usual contents of his messenger bag replaced with his overnight essentials. Sure, he knew he'd be staying a week, but everything else he could need was already stored away in his bedroom in the family's section of the CC compound.

Now that Videl was back to staring him down, he wished that maybe he hadn't been so logical.

"And just where are your clothes, Gohan?" She asked, voice low and dangerously even. "Are you seriously going to wear one outfit for the entire week?"

"Oh, Gohan," Erasa jumped in. "Don't tell me you forgot to pack more!"

He allowed himself a sheepish smile as Erasa fawned over him, tugging her three-piece luggage set behind her. He certainly didn't correct her, and let her believe he had simply forgotten.

"He was probably too busy getting started on the stupid essay we have to write," Sharpener grumbled, referring to one of the conditions of their field trip. "I bet Nerd Boy here's already done."

As the students piled on to a bus, Vide yanked Gohan to one side, and he stumbled and fell into a seat near the front. She immediately sat next to him, blocking his way out.

"Alright, Gohan, I have some questions for you," she started, not bothering to conceal her intentions of sitting next to him.

"Uh, sure," he said, straightening in his seat to look at the girl next to him.

"Who's the Gold Fighter?" She demanded.

"What do you mean?" He said, alarm evident in his voice. "How would I know?"

"You have the same exact hair," she said simply. "Yours may not glow or be golden, but you both have hair that oddly stands up on end."

Gohan just looked at her, dumbfounded. He hadn't even considered the possibility of his Saiyan hair connecting him to Satan City's Gold Fighter.

Videl smirked at his silence. "You see," she said, sticking her hand in his dark hair without invitation. "Most of it stands straight up, and you clearly don't use any hair gel. I doubt the Gold Fighter does either. When my father fights with hair gel, it slides down his neck and forehead with sweat, making him all sticky and shiny. The Gold Fighter never has a trace of goop on him. Which leads me to believe this gravity-defying hair is a weird hereditary thing."

"Well, uh, you're not wrong," he said, at a loss for any other words. She was clearly observant- too observant- and he wasn't a good enough liar to try and convince her of anything otherwise. "I got the same hair as my dad."

"I know," she said, her eyes twinkling. "Because your dad is Son Goku, the previous WMAT champion."

"How-"

"I looked up your last name," she said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Son is a pretty uncommon surname, and I figured it couldn't be a coincidence that your first name also started with 'Go.' But anyway, Goku and the Gold Fighter have similar fighting styles. So, I'm going to ask you again, Gohan. Who. Is. The Gold Fighter? I'm certain he has something to do with your family."

During her monologue, she had pushed him further back into the bus window, her nose now nearly touching his. He felt sweat seeping through the underarms of his baggy, long-sleeve shirt as her fierce scowl drilled holes in him.

"Videl, I have no idea who he is!" He said, flailing in a most unconvincing manner. "Really! You're being ridiculous."

"You're a terrible liar, Gohan!" she snapped. The smaller crime fighter pointed a thin finger still him. "I knew you were hiding something from day one, and it's about time you fess up! I bet you're a fighter too, huh?"

She grinned as he struggled to deny her accusation, and she quickly pounced on this new information. "I knew it! After all, how could Son Goku not teach his kid any martial arts? Now tell me, do you have an older brother? Is he blonde?"

"Videl-"

The bus lurched to a stop. Videl was half-thrown into the aisle, and Gohan had tumbled into her lap, unable to properly brace himself with one arm. Her face burning, Videl hastily shoved the large boy off of her, and he fell to the floor with a loud bang and a yelp. The girl composed herself before stomping over his prone form to hurry off the bus, the other students quickly stampeding around her.

With a groan, the teenage half-Saiyan followed his classmates, trying to desperately forget the feel of Videl's thick thighs against the side of his face. "Her compression shorts are so tight," he thought with a sigh, discreetly shaking out a pant leg as he walked to the back of the crowd. While waiting on the front lawn of Capsule Corp, Erasa found him and ushered him over to the edge where Videl and Sharpener stood.

"I can't believe we're finally here!" she squealed, gesturing to the dome towering before her.

"Gohan!" A small voice yelled. The crowd quickly parted as Trunks Briefs mowed down several students on his way to his friend. Small arms wrapped around his long legs in a brief embrace. Conscious of their audience, Trunks detached himself rather quickly, and instead found himself looking at his shoes.

"You're not still mad at me, are you, Gohan?" He asked before looking up at the older boy. "I mean, I really didn't think it would work!"

"Trunks-"

"And it was totally Goten's idea," he fibbed.

"Was not!" A small voice added, running up to the pair. Goten was panting slightly as he pouted. "But I'm sorry too, Big Brother."

With that, Gohan just laughed and ruffled his brother's hair. "No, I'm not mad at either of you. It was two weeks ago! Of course I forgive you guys."

A throat cleared, and the students whirled from the confusing scene between the boys to the regal woman standing before them.

"Glad to have you back, Gohan," Bulma Briefs said. "And welcome, students of Orange Star High! I'm happy to have you all here."

Students stood mouths agape, flabbergasted to find out the class nerd knew the president of Capsule Corp on a first-name basis. Seemingly unaware of everyone's shock, Bulma hurried on through a brief overview of their housing arrangements.

"Alright, it's only 10 o' clock, so I'll have someone show you to your rooms and you can decompress before lunch," she spoke. "Any questions?"

Several hands went up, but Videl's voice rang out to ask what was on everyone's minds. "How do you know Gohan?"

Nearly twenty pairs of eyes turned back toward the young man in question, who had hiked the Briefs boy onto his shoulders while he held Goten in his arm. Though Trunks normally considered himself too mature for such childish activities, he had to admit that he rather liked looking down upon the human kids from Gohan's vantage point.

"Gohan is a family friend," Bulma's answered easily. "His father's actually one of my oldest friends."

"Wait, you're friends with Son Goku?" Videl asked, intrigued. She hadn't pegged Bulma Briefs to be interested in something so many girls wouldn't dirty their hands with. More jaws dropped as the group of teenagers recalled the name of the legendary martial artist who defeated the Demon King Piccolo.

Bulma briefly wondered if this was the girl Gohan had talked to her about. "She certainly seems interested in him," Bulma thought.

"If you'd ever met Goku," she said, "You'd be hard pressed to find yourself not becoming his friend."

Gohan smiled and knelt to the ground, setting his little brother down while letting Trunks know it was time for him to jump off.

"Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce you! That's Gohan's little brother, Goten. And this" Bulma continued, gesturing to her only child, "is my son, Trunks. His father, Vegeta, lives here as well, but I suggest you avoid him at all costs. He's about my height, muscular, and has black hair that's spiky like Gohan and Goten's. He's also always in a bad mood, and I don't want any of you getting hurt."

"Spiky hair, huh?" Videl whispered, leaning toward Gohan. He inwardly groaned as she eyed both him and Goten. There was no point in her mind that she had made the right connection- Goten looked exactly like Son Goku.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us!"

"I didn't think it was important," Gohan said, scratching the back of his neck. He stood awkwardly just inside of his personal room at Capsule Corp. Sharpener stood near him, still partially in the doorway. The small group had insisted on speaking in private before venturing to the top floor of guest rooms, where their nosy classmates could potentially eavesdrop.

"But seriously, Gohan!" Erasa complained, throwing herself back on to the king-sized bed. Videl stood off to the side of the bed, arms crossed. "I mean, I told you who Videl's dad was on your first day of school!"

"So you're supposed to just confess to total strangers every celebrity you know?" Gohan defended, hand dropping to his side. "Look, it's not a big deal to me and it shouldn't be a big deal to you guys either."

Sharpener took this extended conversation as an invitation to enter the boy's room, perching himself on the messy desk.

"You should get your dad to fight Videl's dad," Sharpener spoke up. "I mean, of course he'd lose, but it'd still be a pretty great fight. Why didn't he show up at the last tourney?"

"He's dead," Gohan replied, smile only slightly wavering. "He died shortly after my little brother was conceived."

Videl's face fell. She had clearly been wondering when she would meet Goku.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Gohan!" Erasa breathed. "And you're right… talking about Bulma is one thing, but mentioning a dead parent would've been a terrible ice breaker on your first day of school."

"It's okay," he said honestly. While he still felt some lingering blame for his father's death, he had learned to live with his mistake and the decision of his father. Goku's death would always hurt, but he knew his father wanted him to move on. So, that's exactly what he did.

"How did it happen?" Videl asked, her usual callous curiosity overriding her empathy.

"Really, Videl?" Sharpener said, actually surprised that the girl would ask something like that. "You should know better than to ask something like that."

The room was silent for a few moments before Gohan realized he'd never once heard anything about Videl's mother.

"Sorry," Videl finally mumbled. "That was too far."

"Like I said, it's okay," Gohan said, leaning against the blue wall. "I've had a lot of time to accept it."

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be related to Vegeta, would you?" Videl asked, changing the topic. "Bulma said you had similar hair. He's not your dad's brother or something, is he?"

Gohan laughed. "No, we're not related! But they were both born in the same place, somewhere far away. Vegeta's actually the prince of their people," Gohan said, slightly stretching the truth. "So I think that's where the weird hair comes from, since everyone looked like us. And don't ask Vegeta about my father, either. They were kind of long-time rivals, so it's not like he would have anything nice to say, anyway."

"Look at you, masquerading as some snivelling dork," the man said. "Just as pathetic as your father, aren't you, brat?"

"Wow, Gohan sure wasn't kidding," Erasa mumbled to herself, aghast.

The Saiyan prince stood proudly in front of the gathered students, his short frame stacked with defined muscles.

"Hi, Vegeta," Gohan said happily, taking no offence. "Off to train?"

"Yes, unlike one half-breed I know."

"Half-breed?" Videl inquired. Despite his callous language, she couldn't help but wonder what half-breed Bulma's husband was referring to.

"Actually," Bulma intervened. "Care to help us out with a demonstration in the GR, Vegeta? I was just about to show them the basics of it."

"I do care, woman," he snapped. "Take them elsewhere."

"What if Gohan spars with you?" Bulma offered.

Several students blinked.

"What?" Sharpener asked. "How's nerd boy supposed to fight with one arm?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sharpener," Gohan said dryly. "And thanks for volunteering me, Bulma."

She ignored his sarcasm, and instead slipped closer to her husband. She kept her voice down, knowing only he and Gohan would be able to hear her.

"Old-fashioned combat only," she whispered. "No flying, no energy blasts, no super. If you fight him, I'll go down on you tonight."

Videl raised an eyebrow as Gohan began to gag.

"Go change, brat," Vegeta snarled, suddenly willing to help his wife in the name of education.

Videl could've killed that boy.

She had been (reluctantly) battling crime alongside the Gold Fighter for around two weeks now. She knew what his physique looked like, what with the tight, spandex suit he always arrived in. But now it was just ludacris how closely Gohan resembled the Gold Fighter.

Another kick slid off his forearm as the boy defended himself against the more experienced fighter. The supposedly-friendly spar had heated up quite quickly. It was clear that Vegeta and Gohan had fought each other before, and it was even clearer that Gohan's abilities in martial arts were exemplary.

"I had no idea that's why he always wears baggy clothes," Erasa said, eyes shining in admiration. "I just assumed he was hiding a lack of muscles!"

Videl felt more confident that Gohan was indeed related to the Gold Fighter. The hair, the fighting style, the physique- and it all circled back to Goku. If she could get closer to Bulma Briefs throughout the duration of this trip, perhaps the older woman would let something spill about her old friend.

Either way, she was impressed with Gohan's knowledge of martial arts. He fought in a blue gi, and despite the red undershirt he wore, the neckline moved quite a bit as he fought, showing off his thick pectorals. If his brawny physique was anything to go by, she would guess he trained extensively, and had been for a long time.

"Alright boys, that's enough!" Bulma called through the intercom. The observation deck was somewhat crowded, but the countless monitors enabled everyone a superb view of the fight. And everyone seemed awed, to say the least.

"Who knew he could fight?"

"Look at that chest!"

"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it..."

The two men exited the gravity chamber. Vegeta pointedly reminded his wife of their deal before heading off to the kitchen.

Gohan faced his classmates, anxious after seeing the looks on their faces. Yet no one looked afraid, or disgusted, or revolted. They looked kind of impressed, actually. He felt a surge of pride in not only his Saiyan heritage, but in his father and Piccolo.

He could do this. He could be normal and make friends with these people. Okay, maybe they were a little shallow since everyone had avoided him when the teacher practically introduced as Mr. Perfect Test Scores, but maybe now they would be more willing to go to know the real him.

Videl, Sharpener, and several other athletes had taken the chance to test out the gravity machine when offered. Their eyes bulged when they felt the gravity kick up to three times Earth's typical force.

"How the hell did those two fight like this?" Sharpener seethed from his position on all fours.

"They probably get to practice in here all the time," Videl reasoned, in a similar position.

And then a thought struck her, nearly causing her to fall back down again.

What if Gohan was somehow the Gold Fighter?

Okay, so maybe he didn't have golden hair, but he certainly had the same type of hair. He knew martial arts very intimately, and his graceful yet powerful movements certainly reminded her of the Gold Fighter. He fit height-wise, and now she knew he had the same build as well. All this time she had assumed they were merely related!

She growled before turning off the shower. Wrapping herself in a fluffy towel, she re-entered the room she had been sharing with Erasa. The blonde had already fallen asleep, and her heavy snores disrupted Videl's thoughts.

The Satan girl had just pulled on a clean pair of underwear when an idea suddenly formed.

Unwillingly, her thoughts drifted back to a conversation she had with Erasa during lunch one day. Videl's best friend had been rambling on about the Gold Fighter's looks, and had brought up the fact that his form-fitting costume left little to the imagination.

"If I can match more of his body to Gohan's, then I'll have concrete proof that they're the same person," she softly concluded.

Eyes wide in realization, she flushed.


	5. Chapter 5: Plan

"Hey, Gohan," she said, shyly. After nearly an hour of grappling with her outrageous plan, Videl had finally plucked up the courage to act.

He blinked. It was midnight, and here was Videl Satan, knocking on his bedroom door wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt. Sure, it fell down to her knees, but it also meant one sleeve slipped from her shoulder to reveal a narrow bra strap.

And her hair. Gohan decided he really, really wanted to run his fingers through the loose black hair that cascaded around her sharp face.

He closed the cracked door slightly, not wanting her to see him in his short-sleeved shirt and teddy bear pyjama pants.

"Videl?" He croaked. "What are you doing here?"

"About to make a fool of myself," she almost said. She cleared her throat and instead whispered, "Can I come in? I need to talk to you."

Without hesitation, the boy stepped back, granting her access to his room. Unlike their guest rooms, Videl noticed that this was indeed a personal bedroom. Astronomy books littered the large desk, and several orange, purple, and blue gis hung from the doorless closet.

She sat on the edge of his bed. "What's wrong, Videl?" He asked gently, worried that something had happened to her. "What did you need to talk to me about?" And when he sat beside her on the bed, just inches away, she decided it was now or never.

She grabbed him by his hair and pulled him in for a kiss. It was her first, and she could tell it was his first, too.

She pressed her torso against his, earning a muffled squeak in surprise. Through her thinly padded sports bra, she could feel the hard contours of his pectoral muscles beneath his shirt. With a gentle shove, he suddenly pulled away. He looked absolutely bewildered. She also noted with some pleasure that his high cheekbones looked thoroughly flushed, and he was already panting.

"Videl," he said, licking his lips. He couldn't believe she had kissed him! He could feel the blood pumping through his veins, already enthralled with the way her body felt up against his. But he knew he had to ask. "Videl, why? I thought… Well, I kind of thought you hated me."

She frowned. Had she truly been that unsettling? She needed to rectify this situation, and fast. "I never hated you," she said truthfully. "I just wanted to get to know you better."

She leaned in again.

"So what do you say," she said, batting her eyes like she'd seen Erasa do a thousand times. "Let's get to know each other better." Her azure eyes flicked to his throat as his adam's apple bobbed. When his mouth finally opened to respond, she straddled him and pushed her tongue into his mouth.

A moan escaped him as he felt her settle over his sensitive erection. He let her do what she wanted with his mouth, figuring that she would always be the more dominant of their two personalities. She ran her fingers along the hard contours of his chest, and she felt herself grow excited. Physically, he felt so similar. She could hardly contain her curiosity.

But something else simmered within her, and she couldn't help but sigh into their kiss. She wiggled against him as she felt him growing harder underneath her, and the sensation against her own groin felt sensational. A slight dampness seeped through her cotton underwear, and she found she didn't mind the feeling at all.

Her hormones already taking over, she released his mouth and whispered in his ear: "Touch me."

He tentatively complied, one arm resting on her waist. Now lost in the heat, she kissed her way down his jaw and neck. He sighed in contentment before pulling her closer, his strong hand resting in the small of her back. His fingers curled up near the hem of her shirt, which had hiked up around her hips to reveal a pair of blue panties. Placing her own hands behind her, she urged his fingers to explore her skin. A hot, calloused hand glided across the skin of her lower back and she shivered, nearly forgetting her plan. Feeling as if the moment was right, she pulled away to lift his shirt. And he let her.

And then she knew. It hit her once more like a ton of bricks.

She had messed up big time.

The sight of him totally shirtless had initially made her jaw drop, even going so far as to ogle the chiselled abdomen peeking out from beneath his high-waisted pants. And then her eyes jumped to the asymmetrical lump of flesh.

The shape of his left arm looked as if it had been blown off halfway between his shoulder and elbow. The skin was paler than the rest of him, and the texture nearing the bottom appeared grossly uneven. The bottom itself, though, was perhaps an even bigger shock. A thick, glossy scar wrapped around the edge, winding back up to settle against his shoulder. The rather large area of scar tissue appeared faint and faded, as though it had happened a lifetime ago. Yet with no barrier between her eyes and his skin, the brutality of his injury was all-too-clear.

Reminded of her classmate's loss, Videl's breath hitched.

Gohan couldn't be the Gold Fighter.

"Hey, have you seen Gohan today?" Bulma asked.

Videl shook her head, keeping her eyes on her food. She hated herself for forgetting about Gohan's arm in the first place. It's not as if he acted impaired by it, and his long-sleeved wardrobe had also contributed to concealing his forced amputation. In fact, it had been much too easy for her mind to cast that detail aside and try to force the two enigmas in her life to fit together. The end result was her making a fool out of herself, and feeling thrown back to square one.

"We knocked on his door earlier, but didn't hear anything," Erasa piped up. "Maybe he's just not a breakfast person?"

Bulma pursed her lips, unconvinced.

His stomach growled.

Gohan couldn't bear to show his face at breakfast that morning. Not after Videl had left his bedroom in such hurry last night. And to think he had developed feelings for her while prancing around as the Gold Fighter. He could just kick himself for being so stupid.

Despite wanting to cry himself into a coma, he had flown around Satan City all morning, stopping crimes and scaring potential ne'er do wells. In a poor excuse to distract himself from his mixed emotions, the city named after her family only managed to keep his mind focused on her.

"Don't you ignore me!" The latest crook shouted. She hefted up a machine gun and took aim. Several men and women around her also sprouted weapons of their own.

Lost in thought, Gohan merely threw a weak energy blast toward the crime lord. The metal exterior of her gun heated up slightly, forcing her to drop it in fear of getting burned. Before anyone could take action, one kick to the face rendered the boss woman unconscious, and several other well-placed moves saw her gang similarly incapacitated.

The Gold Fighter sighed before heading back to West City.

She screamed.

He screamed.

"Hey, stop screaming!" Erasa finally yelled, hand pressed to her heart in shock. "Stop screaming and tell what you think you're doing dressed like that!"

"What are you doing here?" He nearly shrieked, unable to believe that he hadn't sensed her weak lifeforce. So entranced in his thoughts, he had been blindsided when she had burst through the door unannounced.

Gohan stood in the middle of his room, clad completely in his Gold Fighter uniform- except he had already powered down to his base form. Taking off his wristwatch, he pressed the button before tossing it on his night stand. The half-Saiyan reverted back to the t-shirt and teddy bear pyjama pants he had been wearing before he snuck out.

"Erasa, this isn't what it looks like," he said, trying to placate his friend. Nearing hysterics, she took several shaky breaths before sitting on the edge of his bed. Taking a seat next to her felt reminiscent of his encounter with Videl nearly 16 hours ago. Not that he had been counting or anything.

"You're the Gold Fighter," she whispered. "I can't believe you're the Gold Fighter, Gohan."

"Please don't tell anyone," he pleaded. "Please, please don't tell anyone, Erasa. I don't want the attention. I just want to help people. Please."

Stunned by his sombre request, she simply nodded before composing herself. "I'm your friend," she said softly, but firmly. "That's what friends are for." With a sigh of relief, he pulled Erasa into a warm embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, taking in the new information as best she could while she willed her tears to dry.

"I just want to be normal," he whispered. "I don't want people to think of me as a freak or a weirdo… I came to high school to make friends and get away from my overbearing mother."

She couldn't help but laugh. They pulled away from the hug, and any lingering tension evaporated on the spot as Gohan laughed with her.

"So you have… superpowers. But how do you do it?" She finally asked. "Your hair, your clothes, and… and your arm." She nodded her head toward the now-absent limb.

"It's fake," he clarified. "It's a mostly normal prosthetic by medical standards, but built specifically to match my other arm."

He rolled his shoulders. The rubber sleeve acting as a buffer between his skin and the intricate robotic arm had chaffed beneath his costume throughout the past few hours. Yet, it was such a small price to pay for a completely new identity. Or at least it was until Erasa had stumbled into this mess.

"And as for the hair, well," he started. To demonstrate, he transformed into a Super Saiyan once more. After startling her once again, he dropped the form. "It's kind of just something I'm born being able to do," he explained meekly.

"Thank you," she said, still in awe of his abilities. "Thank you for trusting me with all this. I'm glad to know you're really my friend."

"Of course, Erasa. But why did you come here anyway?" Gohan suddenly asked. "Did something happen? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but I'm pretty sure someone broke Videl," she confided. "She hasn't really said anything all day, and she looks really worn out. Do you know if anything happened?"

Gohan froze.

Raising a pristine eyebrow, Erasa noticed his tense posture. She sighed in defeat. "You know. You know, and you don't want to tell me, do you?"

"It's not that, Erasa, honestly," Gohan said. "It's just… well, it's a little embarrassing, I guess."

"Embarrassing?" Erasa asked, now intrigued. "What happened?"

Mentally preparing himself to recall his first intimate experience, Gohan took a deep breath.

"Look, I know I'm not the best looking guy," he started softly, looking down. He saw Erasa start to protest, and he spoke again before he could lose his nerve. "But I thought maybe… I thought maybe she had feelings for me."

Pale eyes wide, her jaw dropped. "Wait, really?"

"She came into my room last night," Gohan continued. "And she kissed me."

Erasa's face lit up. "Are you serious? That's great, Gohan!" She squealed. "I can't believe I didn't see it before. All that time she spent complaining about how secretive you are, and how she kept staring at you during class, she really just had a crush-"

"Stop," Gohan said firmly, his anger bubbling to the surface. "Stop it, Erasa! She doesn't feel that way about me. Not anymore. We kissed, and we… she took my shirt off. And she saw my arm, and she just looked so disgusted." His voice cracking, Gohan stopped to collect his thoughts. Erasa immediately took the pause to give her thoughts. "Gohan, don't say that! She was probably just, I don't know, surprised or something. I'm sure she still likes you-"

"She practically ran from the room, Erasa!" Gohan shouted, jumping to his feet with all resolve broken. "I know it's hideous, but I really liked her!" Tears gathering in his black eyes, he felt the words pouring out faster than he could censor them. "I'd never even kissed someone before her, and then suddenly she just acts like it never happened? How could she do that? How could she do that to me?"

Turning on his heel, Gohan found more resistance in the steel wall than he had in all of the day's crime-fighting combined. Yet still, the wall shuddered under his fist before crumbling outward under the stress of the half-Saiyan's power. His energy surged and his hair flickered once from black to golden yellow.

Erasa shrieked in fear, and the boy came crashing down to reality once more. His friend was a mere three feet from him, and if he lost control now, she could end up hurting her, or worse.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, facing the blonde once more. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I didn't mean to-"

He rambled on incoherently, tears falling down his face in thin lines. He closed his eyes as he felt warm arms envelop him.

"It's okay… let it all out," Erasa whispered, her voice trembling as one hand rubbed his back in small circles. "Just let it out."

The half-human boy cried harder.


	6. Chapter 6: Fear

After their tour of the engineering wing, Videl had broken off from the main group to enter the expansive dining room alongside Bulma. She had been trying to coax the woman into a conversation all day, but the scientist's duties had dampened her last few attempts. With no more formalities in the way, she asked the blue-haired woman to sit with her during dinner.

"Sure," Bulma replied, eager to get to know who she assumed would be Gohan's future girlfriend. After the two women had grabbed their well-portioned meal choices, they took a table farthest away from the other students.

"Can you tell me more about Gohan's dad?" Videl asked. "I'm just really curious since he was thought to be such an incredible fighter."

"Oh, of course," Bulma replied, eager to talk about her oldest friend. "Well, Goku has always been unnaturally strong. I met him when he was about twelve. He had been dragging away a fish as big as a car!" She sighed, the nostalgia filling her with warmth.

"Wow, and you're still close to his family? Even after… you know," she said, hoping she wasn't stepping too far out of line.

"Oh, so Gohan told you, did he?" Bulma said, unperturbed. "Well, to be honest, I think his wife and I only grew closer after his death. You see, she found out she was pregnant not long after his death, and she needed all the help she could get. Gohan had certainly stepped in as a father figure, but he was only eleven. He shouldn't have had to help raise his little brother, but he's so much like his father. Just too kind and willing to help. It was hard for everyone at first, because little Goten looks like a clone of Goku, but in retrospect, I think that really helped us heal. Especially Gohan."

She sighed, glad to have someone else she could talk about this with. It had bothered her for far too long that Gohan hadn't had a real childhood. Perhaps this new girl could help him unwind and relax.

Her interest piqued, Videl latched onto a certain piece of the information. "Wait, you said Gohan became a father figure. So is he the oldest child? It's just Gohan, his mom, and his little brother?" She asked. "No older siblings or anything?"

The older woman shook her head. "Nope. It's just the three of them now."

Slightly deflated, Videl pressed on. After all, this was the best lead she had on the Gold Fighter's identity. Surely it couldn't be a dead end!

"But what about other relatives?" Videl suggested. "Did Goku have any siblings or anything? You know… to help out."

The girl swallowed hard as the genius before she shook her head once again. "Chi-Chi's father is still alive, but they have no other family. Goku had an older brother once, a long time ago. But he died long before Goten was born," Bulma revealed with a hint of distaste. "And the two didn't even grow up together."

Desperate now, Videl blurted out, "Vegeta!" At Bulma's quizzical expression, Videl elaborated. "Your husband, Vegeta. Gohan said Vegeta and Goku were from the same culture or something. Can you tell me more about that? Is it like a village near here or something?"

"Sorry," the rocket scientist said with a sad smile. "The… the village was actually destroyed a long time ago."

Videl's heart sank.

"Only a few survived the genocide," Bulma patiently explained. "Goku, Goku's brother, Vegeta, and another man were all gone at the time. All but Vegeta are dead now. So unfortunately, my husband is the last of his race."

As she finished off the last of her sandwich, Videl asked about a particular word Bulma had used.

"Oh, it was indeed a genocide," was her answer. "There was an emperor long ago. He feared the villagers' strength, and so he had them all destroyed. He left nothing standing."

"Wow," Videl breathed, a heavy feeling settling in the pit of her abdomen. "That's… that's terrible."

Bulma sucked down her steaming mug of coffee, and Videl frowned, deep in thought.

"Goku was alone for much of his life, but it never seemed to bother him as long as he could train," Bulma said, sounding somber for the first time since Videl and started the conversation. "I miss him a lot. He really was one of a kind."

Uncomfortable with the sudden feeling of loss, Videl reached for one last piece of knowledge.

"What did you say the name of their village was again?"

"I didn't," Bulma said with a small smile. The smartest person in the world wasn't about to be outwitted by a mere teenager. "Why do you want to know? Why do you want to know so much about Gohan and his… heritage?"

At a loss for words, the teenager gulped down her glass of water, the vital fluid feeling thick in her tight throat. "Why do I want to know?" She silently asked herself. "Why do I really need to know who the Gold Fighter is?"

She looked up to notice bright blue eyes analyzing her. The woman waited for an answer, but Videl didn't have one. "Bathroom," the girl simply said, before rushing out of the dining hall, not once looking back.

A few hallways away, Videl leaned against a wall, tilting her head back in thought. Of all the things she had seen the Gold Fighter do… well, his techniques impressed her. Techniques, not tricks.

He was strong enough to stop an armoured truck with just his foot on the bumper. He could fly between buildings. Occasionally, he even created powerful blasts of light with just one outstretched hand. Those couldn't all be tricks- they had to be techniques of some sort! They had to be, because she had seen them countless times, and up close. She had seen him take a bullet to his temple and not even flinch!

The Gold Fighter was the real deal. "What are the limits to his power?" She mumbled. "Where does it end?" Holding her head in her hands, she slid down the wall and to the ground. She pulled her knees close to her chest as she willed these thoughts to leave.

"Imagine, all the things he coud do," she murmured against her knees. She thought of his superior speed- she had once seen him rush five children out if harm's way when I fire broke out at Satan City Elementary. The roof had collapsed, and before the remaining occupants could be escorted out safely by the fire department, the Gold Fighter had swooped in to save the day.

And then a darker thought occured to her. "Think of all the things he could do, Videl," she told herself, fists clenched. He could turn on the city at any moment- ge could turn on _her_ at any moment. Surely if he wanted to hurt someone, there would be no stopping him. If he wanted something, he could take it without hesitation.

He could kill without consequence.

"I'm like that emperor guy," she said, the realization shocking her. "I want to stop the Gold Fighter for the same reason his people were killed."

She feared the Gold Fighter, and above all else, she feared his power.

"And just where have you been, young man?" Bulma screeched. "It's one thing to technically skip class, but to be under my own roof and not tell me you're leaving? Do you know how badly your mother would hurt me if I let anything happen to you?"

"You do realize I killed Cell, right?" he asked, a bit confused.

"But it's the principle that counts, Gohan!" She said, throwing her hands into the air. "Your mom comes here all the time with Goten. What if she showed up and you were gone? You know she would tear through half of West City herself just to look for you!"

Gohan cringed. "Ah, I see your point now."

"Look, I don't care if you go out," Bulma said, crossing her arms. "I really don't. You're mature, responsible, and a goddamn superhero for goodness sake. But please just leave a note next time! Some of us can't sense energy signals, you know."

"I'm sorry, Bulma," he said, hanging his head in guilt.

"I know you are," she said, leaning up to kiss him on the forehead. "Now go shower. I know those are the same pyjama pants you were wearing when I saw you last night. You stink."

Wrinkling his nose, he shot her a dirty look. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

He had just entered his private bathroom when Bulma called out to him one last time.

"Oh, and Gohan?" She said, following him in. He was kneeling down, already shirtless and filling the bathtub with hot water.

"Yeah?"

"That Videl girl really likes you," Bulma said, casually assessing the boy's reaction. "She's been asking about you and your family all morning."

With a wink, Bulma turned with a flourish, leaving the blushing hybrid alone again.

He groaned before stripping off his teddy bear pyjamas. Making sure Bulma had truly left, he closed the door before stepping out of his white boxer shorts. He sunk down into the tub, the hot water soothing his muscles.

"She hates me as the Gold Fighter," he told the water. "She also used to hate me as Gohan. But then she liked me. And now she hates me as Gohan again. And this… this is…"

He splashed around for a moment, trying to settle his large frame more comfortably in the narrow tub. "This is crazy," he finally decided. "Girls are crazy."

He entertained the idea of just giving her the space she so clearly desired, but he eventually ruled it out. Gohan knew he was already a bad liar, and definitely a bad actor as well. He couldn't see Videl in class and act as though nothing had happened- not when he had somehow fallen into her friend group. And he certainly couldn't act like nothing was awry when he was around her as the Gold Fighter.

With a sigh, he began to scrub himself clean, resolving to confront her tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7: Open

Videl jumped, startled by the plates that clinked down across from her own. Looking up, dark eyes confronted her.

Standing up, the girl had barely turned around before a large hand grasped her wrist. His grip was gentle and firm, and Videl hesitated. With obvious reluctance, she turned to face Gohan again.

"What?" She asked, her voice uncharacteristically timid.

He blinked. He had been prepared for revulsion, rage- anything, really, other than this. She looked almost… guilty.

"We need to talk," he informed her, releasing her wrist. He sat down and gestured for her to do the same. The tension hit her when she felt herself slide into the hard plastic chair across from him. They were silent for several long moments until Gohan spoke again:

"Why?"

The simple question didn't feel so simple anymore as Videl's conflicted mind searched for a reply. Why had she kissed him? To cop a feel. Why did she cop a feel? She had wanted to know if he was the Gold Fighter. Why did she want to know if he was the Gold Fighter? Because she wanted to stop the Gold Fighter. Why did she want to stop him? She was afraid of his power.

Why had she been avoiding Gohan for the past day?

Because he wasn't the Gold Fighter. He was only Gohan. And when she had kissed Gohan, she had liked it. And now, she was embarrassed. Why was she embarrassed? The night had started out as a reconnaissance mission and had ended up with her growing emotional and passionate. Since that night, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She knew she was acting irrationally, as if she was just some teenager!

And she wasn't just any teenager. She was Videl Satan, and she had a legacy to live up to.

"I'm sorry," she said, showing the most humility Gohan had ever seen her display.

"That's not what I asked," he whispered, his eyes no longer quite meeting hers.

"I know."

They sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Gohan's empty stomach became fairly painful, and he began eating the three meager plates of toast he had scrounged up. Videl began to pick at her eggs, and soon neither teenager felt like speaking first.

With a sigh, Gohan caved.

"Videl, I-" he faltered, before regaining some small semblance of confidence. "I hope we can still be friends."

"Wait, what?" Videl asked, her tone gaining a hard edge with eyes wide in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

A look of hurt flashed across his face briefly, and he opened his mouth to speak. Videl cut him off.

"I seduce you, leave, and then ignore you, and you're just gonna forgive me?" She seethed. "You're gonna forgive me, just like that?"

"Yes," he said without pause.

"I clearly hurt your feelings, Gohan!" She said harshly. She could feel the pent up emotions running through her as he sat back, the stoic mask slowly slipping from his face. "Why aren't you angry with me? Hell, I'm pretty angry at myself!"

"I nearly fainted the first time I saw my arm like this," he said. "So, I don't know why it hurt so much when you didn't react all that differently."

Videl recoiled as if she had been smacked. "Wait, what?" She said, holding her hands up. "You think… this is about your stupid arm?"

"Stupid?" Gohan growled. "Yes, this is about my stupid arm! You took one look at it and you couldn't stomach the sight of me for an entire day! You pretty much flew from the room, Videl! And why wouldn't you? I get it. I'm hideous, okay? I already know that!"

Shocked, she could only look on in disbelief as the boy in front of her grew visibly more agitated. She had never seen him wear anything other than a goofy grin or a panicked expression. And it unnerved her to see what he was truly feeling for once.

"Yeah, to you it's stupid, and disgusting, and freakish," he continued, his voice steadily rising, dragging the attention of their classmates with it. He stood, hand braced on the table as he towered over her. "But it's my body, alright? I have to live with it! Why should you be able to run from it when I can't? Why should you be able to hide from it if I have to live with my mistakes every single day?"

For the first time in her life, Videl had been rendered speechless. She hadn't even considered how he might've construed their situation. And it only made her feel worse to see his deepest insecurity so brutally on display.

Lowering her voice so no one else could hear, Videl whispered, "Gohan, I didn't… this has nothing to do with how your body looks."

His furious face slackening, he blinked several times. "What do you mean?" He asked, uncomprehending.

"When we kissed… I liked it," she admitted, heat rising to her face. "And when I took off your shirt, I liked what I saw."

Gohan was dumbstruck. Part of him thought she was lying to make him feel better, but his more rational thoughts knew she sounded sincere. His chest heaved as he fought to calm his overwhelming relief.

"Then why?" He breathed, his tentative hope already fading as he realized she had still rejected him, no matter what the reason.

"Gohan?"

Both teens turned to see Bulma standing a few feet away, caution etched across her face. Beyond her, several students were outright gawking at the scene, and the rest of the teenagers were clearly only pretending to be interested in their food.

"Are you alright?" She asked. "Maybe you should talk somewhere else…"

Gohan and Videl didn't need to be told twice. Leaving their food behind, they made their way to the door at a brisk pace, their faces burning in humiliation.

Leading her to the indoor garden, Gohan opened the door for her. She entered first, stopping just a few feet shy of a stone bench. He secured it shut behind him, wanting no trace of their conversation to be overheard.

"Videl, why did you-"

And for the second time, Gohan felt himself pulled into a rough kiss.

"It doesn't matter," she gushed, pulling away to breathe. "I was wrong about something. And it doesn't even matter now that I know I… I kinda like you."

The boy blinked, wondering if his eardrums were still intact. Surely he had heard her wrong.

"You like me?" He asked, eyes wide, searching for confirmation. "Like… like that?"

"For a brainiac, you sure can be a dumbass," Videl grumbled, crossing her arms as her cheeks heated up.

"I like you, too," he blurted out.

"Well, I'm glad we got that settled," Videl said, trying her hardest to sound bored, as if she was conducting a business transaction instead of confessing her tumultuous emotions.

"I just don't usually do touchy-feely stuff, you know?" She said, glancing back at him. "But I'm pretty damn tired of denying that I like you."

"Then are we, ah," Gohan asked, afraid she would run off again at his naïve question. "Are we, like… together? Or-"

He squeaked as the girl punched him in the arm, but her look of determination quickly melted into a grimace of pain. "What are you made of metal?" She mumbled to herself. Before he could express his concern over her bruised knuckles, she huffed. With a roll of her eyes, she grabbed the back of his neck.

Gohan felt himself pulled down roughly as she initiated their second kiss. And for once in his life, the boy nicknamed Brains didn't think twice. He instead basked in the sensation of her small, feminine body pressed flush against his.

He let both his heart and his other head guide him this time.

The other students noticed the change in Videl. The next day, she appeared closer than ever to the new kid, but nobody seemed to know why.

"I bet she's just using him for the homework help," one girl murmured. "I know that's what I'd be doing."

Aside from the gossip behind doors, no one dared to make any overt remarks or direct statements to the pair. Surely the daughter of the world saviour would teach them a lesson the only way she knew how- with her fists.

"I can't believe how many people are afraid of you," he mumbled. "It's… strange."

"It's not fear, it's respect," Videl told her secret boyfriend. "There's a difference. No offence, but you wouldn't understand."

With a shrug, Gohan let it go, allowing the other students to pass him during their trek. Videl fell behind with him, throwing him a curious glance. As the pair faded into the back of the group, he tangled his fingers with hers.

Though initially rolling her eyes at his sappy behaviour, Videl embraced the contact with a small smile.

"I'm just not used to this kind of thing," she told him apologetically. "Have you ever… you know?"

"Dated someone?" He questioned. "Nope… you've been my first in everything so far."

Clearing her throat, Bulma watched in satisfaction as the two teens in the back of the crowd whipped their heads toward her. Now that all eyes were on her, she continued speaking. "So I know the past few days have been fun and exciting," she started, "but we do need to have a talk about your assignment."

Complaints rebounded through the group, and Bulma ignored them. "This is our guest business centre," she said instead. "We used to have fairly frequent visits from scientists, innovators, and business people all over the world. However, with the emergence of information-sensitive technology over the past decade or so, we now have to turn away guests who request stays at Capsule Corp."

Gohan cringed, knowing she was referring to all the alien activity that took place on-site.

"So, you have the place to yourselves," she continued. "You're welcome to work on your assignments here, and there are plenty of computers for all of you. You've been allotted an hour or so today to begin your research papers. So, work, or not- I don't really care either way. But if you need assistance, a program supervisor is on standby just across the hall. Gohan can show you where if you need them."

With a wink sent his way, Gohan felt himself grow hot under the jealous stares of a few classmates.

"I'm off to a meeting," Bulma finished. "Later, guys."

The door slid shut behind Bulma, leaving the room adult-free. Most students took their places on the large sectional in the centre of the room. Others crowded around the refreshments in the corner. Gohan took a seat at the first computer he saw. Looking back, he noticed his friends eyeing him funny.

"What?" He asked, uneasy with their attention.

"Dude," Sharpener pointed out. "We have to research something related to Capsule Corp, a company you already apparently know everything about. And here you are, rushing to get started."

"...And?"

With a sigh, Videl sat down next to the bookworm, and Erasa reluctantly followed suit. Annoyed, Sharpener sat with them, but made no move to turn on a computer.

"So what are you going to do your project on, Gohan?" Erasa asked.

The boy tapped his fingers along the tabletop, wondering what he should tell them. Truthfully, he had wanted to write about Bulma's time machine, but he reasoned that was something the greater public shouldn't be made aware of. Instead, he answered, "I was thinking of writing about the GR."

"I still can't believe you and Vegeta fought in such high gravity," Videl intoned, opening the web browser. Erasa currently sat between the couple, obstructing Videl's view of the dark-haired boy. "What are you two even made of?"

"Eh, you know," Gohan chuckled. "Bones and stuff. Same as you."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe," Erasa quipped.

"Bulma told me your dad and Vegeta are from a village of really strong warriors," Videl mentioned. As much as she liked Gohan, she still had so many questions. But since they were now dating, she reasoned that it would be better if she voiced such concerns openly instead of, for example, stalking him to gain intel.

"She said what?" Gohan sputtered. "When?"

"Yesterday, I think," Videl said, trying to remember. "Do you know the name of the village?"

"Why do you want to know?" He asked, clearly nervous.

"I'm just trying to get to know you better, is all," she defended. "I mean, we still don't know that much about you, you know. I didn't think you'd be so ashamed of your ethnicity."

Erasa discretely looked back and forth between the curious girl and the sweaty boy. She was reasonably certain they had begun dating, but she wasn't willing to ask them outright while others were still so close by. She resolved to get the dirty details from Videl later, returning her full attention to the blank document open before her. She began typing, hoping to at least get the introduction to her paper completed.

"It's kind of a long story," Gohan finally said, avoiding eye contact. "I'll, ah... tell you later?"

With narrowed eyes, Videl kept her sights set on the screen before her. With Gohan still withholding information, Videl decided not to respond, and the friends soon fell silent.

The crimefighter had also wanted to write about the GR. She could only imagine the possibilities of martial arts training in there! After all, Gohan and Vegeta certainly looked strong.

"Gohan," Videl thought with a sad sigh. She had been so sure that Gohan had been masquerading as the Gold Fighter. Now thoroughly proven wrong, she had to find another lead to follow. Sneaking a glance to confirm her friends were all occupied, even Sharpener with his phone, she quickly searched the internet for Son Goku.

When she had originally searched the web to find out more about Son Gohan, she had stopped upon finding a WMAT article on Son Goku. She had correctly assumed they were related, and that was that. But now, she knew there was more information to be found- particularly after her talk with Bulma. For some reason, Videl also felt like Bulma had been censoring her own words about Goku.

The only web results she could find pertained to the tournaments he had participated in. Before that: nothing. He had seemingly appeared out of thin air at the tender age of 12 as a competitor, and again as a competitor at 15. Videl became frustrated as she After his victory at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, he disappeared at age 18.

One article mentioned he had become proposed to another competitor after their match, a Miss Anonymous who was later revealed to be named Chi-Chi. Videl nodded to herself, remembering the name of Gohan's mother from her conversation with Bulma. But the girl couldn't believe her eyes when she couldn't find any legal documents pertaining to Son Goku. No birth certificate, no marriage license, and no death certificate. It look as if apart from the tournaments and his rumoured defeat of the Demon King, Goku didn't exist.

She eventually stumbled upon a photo of the newly engaged teenagers, still standing in the tournament ring after the proposal. While she had seen photos of Son Goku after her first internet search, she could now see what Gohan's mother looked like. She knew that Goten looked exactly like his father Goku. And now, Videl could see that with the exception of his father's distinctive hair and physique, Gohan seemed to strongly resemble his mother.

But the entire family apparently all had black hair, black eyes, and fair skin.

The Gold Fighter had blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and a slightly pink complexion.

Dejected, Videl closed out of the webpage. "Maybe he's not related to the Gold Fighter at all," she thought. "Maybe it was all just a coincidence?" She shook her head slightly. If there was anything that her work with the police had taught her, it was that such coincidences were entirely too good to be true. The Gold Fighter had fought like Son Goku! Despite the former champion's training under the Turtle Hermit, he had still developed his own unique sense of fighting that had obviously been passed on to both Gohan and the Gold Fighter. Her instincts had been right about Goku and Gohan being related. She knew she had to be right about this one, too.

But as she came upon this seemingly dead end, she wanted to pull her hair out.


	8. Chapter 8: Trust

He cringed as the news report flashed a picture of the Gold Fighter across the screen. Videl lunged for the remote control, disregarding the other teens in the room.

They were currently processing some soil samples collected across West City. Students sat across a handful of workbenches recording the last results of their pH tests. And now their attention had been recaptured by the Satan girl flinging herself across the counter to grab the remote.

"Videl," Gohan called, trying to get her attention. The girl ignored him, instead turning the volume up to a nearly unbearable level.

Gohan's head pounded as a reporter discussed him on the world news.

"-and the very same reporter who covered the Cell Games alleges that the Gold Fighter is, in fact, the Delivery Boy all grown up."

Exclamations arose throughout the room, but Videl's eyes simply narrowed in concentration.

Footage from the Cell Games followed the reporter's bold new theory, and the photos of a blonde Gohan at different ages were shown side by side for comparison.

"The latest facial recognition software available from Capsule Corp can confirm a 99% match in identity, a significantly higher result than the widely accepted threshold of 90%. While the claim first made headlines this morning, there is no doubt now. Satan City's own superhero was the little boy who fought Cell seven years ago."

Click.

Enraged, her pigtails whipped around her face as Videl turned on her heel. "Why did you turn it off?" Videl seethed.

Upon seeing the dour expression on Gohan's face, her voice softened. "Gohan?"

He sighed, putting the remote down. "You said we would go for a walk."

She cocked her head to the side, not understanding what her boyfriend was saying.

"You said we would go for a walk when our test was done," he clarified. She followed his gaze to the tabletop, where their paper pH stick had indeed dried up a light yellow-green. "I asked where you wanted to go, and you just… you know. Jumped away."

Shoulder slumping, Videl tried to explain herself. "I know, but… maybe I should go talk to the police chief about this-"

"But why?" Gohan pressed. "The Gold Fighter is helpful, our soil is slightly acidic, and at this time of the year, it'll be dark in an hour. If you still want to go for a walk, we should probably start cleaning up."

Videl bit her lip, shame filling her as she realized how easily she had discarded Gohan. She didn't like that feeling- that one minute he could be so important to her, and next moment, it was easy to forget his presence.

"Okay," she mumbled, and Gohan knew that would be the closest thing to an apology he would be able to get from the proud and stubborn girl at the moment.

The two strolled through the outer perimeter of Capsule Corp, fingers entwined. Videl's azure eyes stayed down, unfocused. Gohan couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Gohan wanted her to think about him as Gohan, not the Gold Fighter. And the more he let her mind wander about the Gold Fighter, the more he felt like he was losing her. And he wasn't about to let that happen.

He stopped suddenly, jerking Videl to a stop as well. She blinked before looking up at him, squinting from the lingering sunlight. "What?" She asked. "Why'd you stop?"

"How would you feel if I was thinking about another girl when I'm with you?"

She recoiled in shock. Her jaw clenched, and she growled, "I'd call you a pervert." She tried to pull her hand from his, and he let her.

"Then why are you thinking of him when you're with me?" He asked, frustrated. "Don't try to tell me you're not, because I can see it written all over your face."

"You don't understand," she sighed. "This is my job. Protecting the city is my job, and I can't trust the Gold Fighter or anyone else with it."

"And why is it your job?" He asked, turning to face her.

"Because I'm-"

"The daughter of Hercule Satan?" Gohan finished.

Her mouth opened as if to argue, but she faltered. Gohan pounced on the opportunity. "I know he's your dad, Videl. But believe me- I know what it's like to feel like you have big shoes to fill. So yeah, you're Hercule's daughter, but you're so much more. You're Erasa's best friend, you're my girlfriend, and more importantly, you're you. You're only human, Videl. You don't have to be who everyone thinks you are. You don't have to be the girl everyone expects you to be."

She didn't quite meet his eyes for a moment. He sighed, readying himself to apologise for his uncalled outburst when she spoke again.

"When I met you, you didn't seem at all impressed with who my father was," she finally said. "But why? Why aren't you like other guys, Gohan? Why do you even like me?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Why wouldn't I like you? You're strong, and I don't just mean physically. You're independent and intelligent. You know exactly what you want and you're not afraid to chase it. Sometimes I wish you weren't so cocky and proud- let me finish," he reprimanded, seeing her scowl.

"I wish you weren't so proud sometimes, but maybe that's just because we're different," he added. "You're so confident in yourself and your abilities… and you know that I'm not. But being different from each other isn't exactly a bad thing. And, well, I know you don't place a lot of importance on looks, but you're also really beautiful, Videl."

"You think I'm beautiful?" She questioned, her scowl fading. "Even when I don't dress like Erasa, or-"

"Are you calling me a liar, Videl?" He asked, mirth in his eyes. His teasing tone earned him a punch in the ribs, which he barely felt.

"Shut up and kiss me," she demanded, flustered by the own words coming from her mouth.

"You're the boss, Videl," he whispered, leaning in close to her. Their noses brushed against each other, and his hot breath tickled her cheeks. "And I wouldn't change that, ever."

Feeling thoroughly charged, she leaned up to press her lips against his, and he obeyed.

After dinner, Videl found herself on Gohan's bed, running her hands through his thick hair.

Despite the strands standing straight up all the time, his hair was surprisingly soft and flexible. She pulled him deeper into the kiss, and be eagerly complied. His hand roamed beneath her baggy t-shirt, warm hands burning through her bare skin. After just a few days since the beginning of their relationship, they already seemed completely at ease around one another. Though entirely out of character for the reserved girl and the shy boy, their passion felt natural and rather effortless. Videl had never understood how girls could completely lose themselves in the eyes of a cute boy, but she was quickly starting to understand.

His fingers brushed against her lower ribs, and he pulled away slightly. "Can I… take off your shirt?" he asked, voice cracking with anticipation. She nearly melted under the gaze of his eager virgin eyes.

After feeling so controlled by her father's image of who she should be for so long, she enjoyed her nightly make-out sessions with Gohan. He made her feel exciting and spontaneous, in a way that crime fighting had never managed to replicate. She simply hadn't known what she was missing.

She knew she had fallen hopelessly in love with the strange mountain boy.

"It's okay, you don't have to," Gohan assured her when she didn't reply right away. Before he could get the wrong idea, however, she put a finger to his lips. It was their last night at Capsule Corp, and she wasn't sure when they'd get this privacy again. So, she whispered three words she had never told anyone. And even though they weren't _The_ Three Words, she felt that these ones inherently held more meaning.

"I trust you."

She peeled her baggy shirt from her small frame and flung it behind her. Her face grew warm as she could feel her boyfriend's wide-eyed stare.

"Okay, so maybe kicking things up a notch wasn't a good idea," she silently lamented. She may have just killed the poor boy from shock! But before she could raise a hand to lightly smack some sense into him, Gohan dipped forward. With his hand still braced on her hip, she gasped as his mouth kissed her small breasts almost greedily through her bra.

"No, this wasn't a good idea," Videl thought. "This was a great idea." She arched into his touch as the shirtless boy explored her torso without reservation.

Now, this was the kind of freedom and expression Gohan had been yearning for. This was the reason he had enrolled in high school. This was what normal kids did! And while it scared him- because these sensations were entirely foreign- he only found himself drawn in deeper.

And his cock twitched every time she moaned.

Bulma's personal lab looked like a tornado had recently passed through. Papers in assorted sizes and colours dotted the workbench, along with several sleep computers surrounded by a sea of circuitry. Several iterations of cleaning bots lined the back of the workshop in a haphazard display. Heaps of scrap metal lay strewn across the floor, and something suspiciously humanoid sat slumped against a metal cabinet in the corner of the room.

"It's dumb that nerd boy gets to skip out on the last tour just because he knows Bulma," Sharpener grumbled.

"Oh, shut it," Erasa whispered. "Remember how we were supposed to be chaperoned? Just be glad that so many people forgot to turn in their forms that she had to stay behind and babysit them."

"Unless of course, you'd rather be back in her classroom right now," Videl added, referring once more to their uptight professor.

The boy took the hint and stayed silent, glueing himself to a wall near the entrance.

"Feel free to look around," Bulma said. "Just for the love of everything you hold dear, do not touch anything. Seriously, like, something could very well explode if you don't handle it properly."

"You don't think she's serious, do you?" Erasa asked quietly, eyeing the nervous program supervisor standing behind Bulma. Videl shrugged and began glancing at the array of half-finished inventions lying around. She almost passed the dummy on the floor without a second glance. That is, until she nearly tripped on its arm.

"Weird," Videl muttered. She glanced down to see a corner of something white sticking out from the cabinet next to the dummy. Curious, she knelt down to see what piece of paper had fallen and gotten stuck. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a photograph- a photograph of a familiar bare torso.

"Why is there a photo of Gohan shirtless… in Bulma's personal lab?" Videl thought, her horror only growing as she contemplated possible explanations. She peered under the cabinet, seeing more pieces of photo paper scattered underneath.

"Alright students," Bulma called. "Gather round the door and I'll take you back to the lobby where we can debrief. After we talk for a bit, you can collect your things and pack them back on the bus."

Cursing softly to herself, Videl walked back to the front of the room, behind her best friend. She eyed the room suspiciously as the door locked behind the student with a loud click.

She needed to find a way back in there. She needed to help Gohan.

"Can I help you?" He said playfully as Videl snuggled up to him in the bus seat. The girl simply wrapped her arms around Gohan's thick bicep and sighed into his skin.

With a deep chuckle, he shrugged out of her embrace to wrap his arm around her. Grateful for the warmth, she allowed herself to be pulled closer to his chest.

The same chest she saw in Bulma's lab earlier.

"Gohan?"

"Hmm?"

"If something bad was happening to you, would you tell me?" She asked, choosing her words carefully.

The boy blinked in confusion. Where had that come from? "I guess," he said, frowning. "Why? Is something wrong, Videl?"

He sat up straighter. "Is someone doing something bad to you?" He asked, a hard edge to his voice, and a slight panic rimming his eyes. "Did someone hurt you?

"No, Gohan," she huffed. "I can take care of myself. And besides, I was asking about you."

He relaxed, relieved that this wasn't her strange way of trying to tell him about an abusive situation.

"No, I'm fine, Videl," he said, now weary. "Why?"

She shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Come on, you know you can tell me anything, right?" He said softly, nuzzling the top of her head with his nose.

"You know the same goes for you, right?" She asked, pulling back to look at him seriously. "You can tell me anything."

She slouched as he looked away.

The rest of the bus ride was silent between the pair, not even the odd glances from classmates provoking a reaction. Upon reaching Orange Star High once again, the mood on the bus had lightened considerably. Weekend plans were being tossed back and forth between friends, and grumbles about finishing their assignment were exchanged.

As several students struggled to extract their luggage from the bottom of the bus, Gohan and Videl stood off to one side of the parking lot.

"It's hard to believe that just a week ago, in this same spot, I didn't like you very much," she admitted. "But I'm glad things are different now."

"I'm glad, too," he said with a broad grin. He leaned down to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Don't be a stranger, okay, Videl?" He added, noticing how distant she already seemed. "You have my home phone number. Call me anytime time you want, okay?"

She nodded with a small smirk. "Oh, believe me, I have no qualms about bothering you, Son Gohan."


	9. Chapter 9: Secrets

She had only been flying in her jet copter for a few minutes before her communicator chirped.

"What's up, Chief?" She said, clicking the interface on.

"Videl," an older man huffed. "I know you just got back in town, but we've got a man causing chaos just off of Hercule Highway. He's been asking for your father, who we can't seem to get a hold of. So when the Gold Fighter shows up, I want you there as back-up."

"What?!" She screeched. "Back-up?"

Turning to head toward downtown, Videl's knuckles turned white as she clenched the jet's controls in her hands.

"Listen Videl, it's not that I don't think you can handle it, but-"

"But what?" She barked dangerously. The chief was usually a man that commanded respect from Videl by the very nature of their relationship. But the way he seemed to doubt her skills made her instantly on edge.

"He blew up a truck with a light beam," he gushed. "This man- he's like the Gold Fighter, Videl."

It hadn't occurred to him to tell her. Though now he now realized they would be fighting crime together again, this time as a kind-of couple, and the thought of deceiving her didn't sit well with the boy. He groaned, knowing that despite her backing off of Gohan for the time being, she would be hounding the Gold Fighter even more relentlessly now.

His ears twitched as he felt a fairly high energy signal pulse just a hundred feet ahead. News vans already crowded the streets, and bystanders watched the intruder in fear. And Gohan himself nearly fell over in shock when he saw a tall figure wearing a familiar breastplate, the look completed with a next-generation scouter.

The scouter, which seemed to cover both eyes, beeped once in warning. The alien turned toward him.

"Ah, there's that power level again," The invader asked, his purple face crinkling in disdain. "The highest on this planet at the moment. Can I assume you are the planet's protector?"

In an instant, Gohan's aura flared around him and the blue scouter shattered. Screams rang out as the electronic debris littered the concrete, but Gohan only had eyes for the surprised creature before him.

"Did you come here alone?" Gohan yelled. "Are there others from the Frieza Force that know you're here?"

"You destroyed my scouter," the being stated in disbelief, trying to gain a read on the human's strength with his eyes alone.

"I know they can be used for communication," Gohan replied. "I didn't want you requesting more soldiers."

"And how does a lowly human of this backwater planet know of the great Lord Frieza and his soldiers?" The alien asked, with a glare.

Gohan laughed. "Who said I was human?"

After receiving a weird look, the teenager continued.

"And as for Frieza… we've met," he replied, much to the soldier's shock. "You see, that overgrown lizard had an issue with monkeys, so my monkey father took care of him."

"You're a Saiyan!" The purple man gasped. "So you must indeed be the authoritative power on this little mudball. Commander Sorbet hadn't informed me of any threatening lifeforms on this planet, but I doubt you'll still be much of a roadblock. My name is Tagoma. Simply hand over the dragon balls, and I'll spare you worthless life."

"Leave now, or I'll be forced to fetch the strongest man in the world!" a new voice rang out.

With a string of curses, Gohan turned around. "Miss Videl!" He shouted, knowing he had to at least try. "Get out of here. It's too dangerous!"

"Why don't you take his order and leave already, Delivery Boy!" She fired back. Since learning about this involvement at the Cell Games, she had been more furious with him than ever. And by the sound of the conversation she had arrived in time to hear, the Gold Fighter had a lot of explaining to do.

"Pesky humans," Tagoma lamented. "Almost as annoying as monkeys." Shooting a sly grin toward Gohan, Tagoma sent a thick energy blast straight for Videl.

She felt the heat rinse over her pale skin as a red cape materialized before her. With a single arm, the Gold Fighter forcefully redirected the blast away from Videl, only for it to blow up in the sky.

Upon seeing the explosion, pandemonium broke out. Many passersby realized that the light show had now become dangerous, and they soon scurried indoors and out of sight. Before long, the only full-blooded humans remaining were Videl and the police force- not that any of them would be particularly helpful.

The physical confrontation didn't last long. After just two blows, The Gold Fighter had Tagoma on the ground, his armour battered beyond repair. The weakened alien trembled, awaiting his end before whom he now presumed to be the legendary Super Saiyan.

Gohan concentrated his lifeforce into a small sphere of yellow energy in his outstretched hand. As he charged the blast, he thought about what he needed to do, and how he would need to come to terms with it. He wanted to spare this man- he really did. After all, it's what his father would've wanted. Goku had believed in mercy as well as second chances, and Gohan wanted so badly to give Tagoma his.

"Stop!" Videl yelled, realization dawning on her. "You can't just kill him!" She ran toward him, intent on stopping him.

But Gohan was not his father, and he would not make the same mistake twice.

She had barely grasped his left arm when he released the blast.

The energy exploded on impact, and only a small chunk of charred armour survived. As the smoke cleared, revealing Tagoma to be vaporized, Videl began to scream.

Videl squeezed his wrist tighter, but the Gold Fighter did not react. To her chagrin, he didn't seem to notice her at all until her fists began to rain down on his chest.

Gohan hated to leave her while she was upset, but he knew he couldn't comfort her as the Gold Fighter. Swallowing his tears, Gohan shot into the evening sky.

His daughter nearly busted the door off its hinges when she barged in.

"Dad!" She screamed. "Dad, where are you?"

Hercule Satan tensed. He loved his daughter, he really did, but her raging temper ignited a fear in him that he often didn't know he had. He shuffled from his theatre room to greet her.

"Hi, sweet pea," he started gently. "How was your trip to Capsule Corp?"

"Tell me everything you know about the golden guys from the Cell Games," she barked.

His eyes widened. "What?" He said. "Baby girl, why do you want to-"

"I know they aren't tricks, dad," she said, flatly. "So, I suggest you start talking."

Normally, Hercule would be flabbergasted that his only child would dare speak to him in such a manner. Instead, sweat gathered on his back, and he felt the weight of her stare drilling a hole between his eyes.

"What do you know?" He said, his boisterous voice no louder than a whisper.

"I know they aren't tricks," she repeated. "Which means you didn't kill Cell, did you?"

The look he gave her spoke volumes.

Gohan could tell that Videl was still upset. He of course blamed himself, as this was the first death she had ever personally witnessed, but he didn't regret his actions. Perhaps if Tagoma didn't return, then his commander would pronounce their dragon ball hunt too dangerous to continue. Or at least, that's what Gohan hoped.

His watch had also been damaged that same afternoon. He hadn't felt that Videl had been grabbing onto the wrist of his prosthetic limb, collapsing part of the delicate circuitry in the watch. Upon changing into his Gold Fighter wardrobe, he usually switched his watch from his right arm to underneath the glove of his new left arm. He had thought this would have prevented any accidental damage, considering his left arm was for show and not for use, but it had only seemed to backfire this time.

"Hey, Videl?"

The girl in question quirked an eyebrow, not bothering to turn toward him.

"I have to go back to Capsule Corp today after school to visit Bulma," he said. "Do you want to come with me?"

Her eyes widened as she turned to face him. "No, he can't visit Bulma!" She thought, frantic. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She said, studying his face.

"Uh, yeah?" He said, confused. He had been hoping to cheer her up since she seemed to enjoy their alone time at Capsule Corp. "We could even, you know… hang out in my room over there did you wanted to."

Her cheeks flushed at the implication, and she bit her lip in thought. "Maybe I can sneak off at some point to figure out what those photos were doing in Bulma's lab," she silently realized. Nodding, she finally said out loud, "Actually, that sounds fun. Meet you on the roof after school?"

"It's a date," Gohan confirmed with a grin.

The jet copter was cramped, but the couple didn't exactly mind. Videl's petite frame fit well in front of Gohan's tall, muscular build, and the teens cuddled for the duration of the trip.

Videl cut the engine when they touched down safely on the green lawns of Capsule Corp. She stowed her vehicle before following Gohan in through a side door. He knew his way around the building well, and they soon found themselves on the same floor as Bulma's lab.

"Hey, kiddo!"

"Hi, Bulma," Gohan grinned. "You remember Videl, right?"

"How could I forget?" The genius laughed, winking at Videl. Unsettled, Videl simply nodded a meek greeting.

"Well, what can I do for you two? I was just on my way to grab some more coffee."

"Actually, I need to talk to you alone for a minute. Can I come with you?" Gohan said, glancing toward Videl. Bulma quickly got the hint and ushered him into the elevator. "We'll be right back, Videl! There's a lounge in the first door on the right if you wanna wait for us."

As soon as the doors shut, Videl jogged down the hallway, passing the lounge. After another minute or so, she came upon the large silver entryway that designated Bulma's personal laboratory. Before she could stop to look for an access point, the metal door opened on its own.

Trunks Briefs nearly knocked her down on his way out of the lab, a strange round device tucked into his gi belt. He flinched at first, thinking he had been caught while not properly keeping his senses open. Upon seeing the human girl before him, he gave Videl a stern expression.

"You didn't see me here!" He warned, before running down the hall.

"Same!" She yelled back, stepping inside Bulma's lab just as the door shut behind her. With an audible click, she was locked in.

She took a deep breath, wondering if Gohan was alright.

Gohan stiffened.

"No, Bulma, we haven't done anything like that, I swear!"

She laughed. "I know, kiddo, I'm just teasing you," she said. "But seriously- promise me you'll come to me if you're ready to take the next step. I have some reinforced condoms to give you, as well as a few tips on how to not kill Videl in the process."

"Are you done yet?" He whined, covering his face.

"With my lecture or your watch?" She asked with a not-so-innocent smile. She sat tinkering with the Gold Fighter's watch as her coffee brewed nearby. After a minute, she set the screwdriver down before reaching for a soldering iron.

"Why do you have all these tools lying around in your kitchen anyway?" He asked, slouching in defeat as he tried to change the subject.

She shrugged. "My lab can be a little too messy to find things sometimes."

If not for the large humanoid object sitting against it, Videl probably would've never located the same cabinet from last time. "The world's best engineer and she can't even make a bot to clean up after her," Videl grumbled. She carefully made her way toward the cabinet and knelt down. The photos were still stuck under the foot of the cabinet, and she had to tug several times before she finally freed all of them.

While she had accidentally torn them up a bit, she could now confirm that the photos featured her very shirtless boyfriend. They looked fairly recent, as his body looked just as broad and taut as she remembered. Yet aside from a few photos showing the front and back of his entire torso, most of the photos focused on different angles of both his intact arm and his injured side. SG18 labelled every photo in the set, scrawled in black ink across the bottom.

"Okay, so maybe not pornography, but still definitely weird," Videl sighed. She shifted on the floor, settling into a more comfortable position before flicking through the photos again.

Curious as to what else she could find, she opened up several drawers across from the dummy. Finding nothing but various tools and precision instruments, she moved onto the narrow metal cabinet.

Her jaw dropped as she saw dozens of human arms lining the shelves. Upon closer inspection, she was able to discern that they weren't biological in nature, which somewhat put her at ease. She picked up one heavy arm at a time, marvelling at how perfectly the outer layer resembled human skin in both colour and texture. If not for the upper area's attachment socket, she would've never known these were fakes.

"Why does Bulma need such realistic mechanical arms?" Videl wondered.

Then she paled. "And why are they all left arms?"

Her body froze, rooted to the spot. She chided herself on jumping to ridiculous conclusions once more. It had already backfired on her before! She had to think things through this time. Gohan wasn't the Gold Fighter, Bulma wasn't a pervert, and-

The arms were all labelled SG18.

The arms were all labelled SG18, with the exception of two shorter arms. The thinner of these two was labelled SG11, with the other labelled SG12. Aside from the vaguely muscular shape, she could swear they looked like they were made for children…

And suddenly she couldn't breathe.

He couldn't breathe.

As soon as Videl's energy spiked, he had raced out of the kitchen and up the stairs, too hurried to wait for the lift. "Gohan!" Bulma yelled, trying to catch up to him, but to no avail.

He followed his girlfriend's energy signal to Bulma's personal lab, and he felt her distress clearly as though it was his own. He smashed his foot against an off-colour tile on the floor, cracking it in his haste. With the facial recognition software immediately triggered, the door granted him entry. He leapt inside the room, searching for Videl, before finally skidding to a stop in front of the shaking girl.

"Videl, are you okay?" He panted. "What's wrong? What happened-"

His voice broke off as he looked at the cabinet open before her.

Every past prototype of his prosthetic arm was laid out before her, and the reference pictures Bulma had taken in order to structure his new arm correctly lay sprawled across the floor.

Videl currently clutched one of the SG18s against her palm, tightly encircling its wrist.

Not sure just how much she had pieced together, the 18-year-old boy ventured softly, "Videl? Are you okay?"

She turned to him slowly. "No, no, I'm not okay," she said, her voice growing louder with each word. "Because I just broke up with my boyfriend, the kid who killed Cell!"

Dropping the mechanical arm to the floor, she stomped around him to storm out the door.

"Videl, wait!" He cried out, running after her. She picked up speed as she brushed past Bulma on her way to the elevator. The older woman caught the collar of Gohan's shirt as he tried to pass her, and he allowed himself to be tugged to a stop before he dragged her down in his haste.

"Give her some space," she said in a hushed voice, her hands now on either side of Gohan's jaw. The elevator beeped once as it took Videl to the ground floor, and the boy couldn't tear his eyes from the lift's exterior.

"Bulma, please, I have to- I have to do something," he rambled. "I have to go-"

She gently pulled his face toward her, forcing him to hold her gaze. "Look, I don't know what just happened, but I do know girls," she said wisely. "And I can tell you without a doubt that Videl isn't going to want to see you right now. She's not going to listen to what you have to say. Give her some time."

"You don't understand," he croaked. "She knows! She knows I'm the Gold Fighter, she knows about the Cell Games. She found the arms, and she- she's so mad, Bulma, she's so mad-"

With a sigh, Bulma Briefs pulled her surrogate nephew into a comforting embrace, as the incoherent words began to pour.


	10. Chapter 10: Protect

Chi-Chi nearly fainted when Gohan proceeded to nibble at his dinner. Sure, she knew Bulma would never let him and his voracious appetite starve, but he would usually welcome her home-cooked meals with fervour. Pushing away the stubborn lock of hair hanging in front of his face, she felt his forehead.

"Mom, I'm not sick," he said, sullen.

"Then why are you sad, Gohan?"

The two older relatives looked at the little boy across from them. Goten had paused to speak, his mouth stuffed with bread and two more rolls clutched in his small fists. "Manners," Chi-Chi chided. Goten swallowed before grinning apologetically.

"Why are you upset, Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked, knowing that those trained in the energy arts were fairly adept at sensing people's emotions. So, if Goten said something was wrong, she knew something was definitely wrong. "Did you not have fun at Bulma's?"

"I did actually," Gohan said curtly. "And that's the problem."

Confused, the woman looked at her son with concern, urging him to continue with big, black eyes.

"I think you were right," he said. "I think it'd be best if I was homeschooled again."

He had never been one to run from trouble. In fact, he had been trained from a young age to jump into trouble head first. He had been taught to strike, undermine, and counter. Yet some of his crucial lessons included blocking, and dodging altogether.

However, his relationship with Videl wasn't something he could fight, or even avoid. He felt backed into a corner, with no choice but to flee. After all, she had been the first to disengage. It only made sense now to run, regroup, and gather his wits. Only instead of returning with a new strategy in place, he wouldn't return at all.

The Son matriarch had been all too happy to have her eldest son home again. Goten had been eager to play and train with his big brother again. Piccolo would probably look forward to resuming training, as he hadn't been fond of cutting back on their sessions while the boy attended school in the city. And now Videl would have the space she apparently desired.

Everyone got what they wanted, except Gohan.

He reclined onto his narrow bed, staring at the smooth ceiling before him. He had spent countless hours of his childhood in here, studying until his fingers went numb from taking notes. He had enjoyed the content, but hated the structure and limitations it came with. So, Gohan supposed, he was used to having things not go his way.

He glanced over to the photo on the middle shelf of his bookcase. It featured his father, slightly thinner than he remembered. The photo was clearly taken before Gohan had been born- before his uncle Raditz had arrived and their lives had been plunged into chaos.

He had been kidnapped, forced to watch his father die, fought the Saiyans, went to another planet, had his neck broken, looked on in horror as his father became the first Super Saiyan. A year of his mother's heavy hand passed by quickly, and soon Frieza had returned. Then news of the apocalypse came, followed by three years of intense fear and training. Then several androids appeared, and a radical new heart virus chipped away at his father's life.

And then Cell.

He turned over on his side, willing the memories to go away. His family, along with the rest of the Earth, had finally gotten a break. Seven years of peace had passed by rather uneventfully. Gohan sighed, frustrated that his turbulent emotions threatened to overtake him once more.

Only normal teenagers occupied their time with such petty problems. Gohan wasn't normal, that much was true. No amount of wishes on the dragon balls could change that.

He sat up, realizing he had nearly forgotten about the situation with the warrior Tagoma.

His commander was seeking the dragon balls… but for what?

"Get out, brat."

"Vegeta, please I need to talk to you-"

"The woman already told me about your mate," the man said in a clipped tone. "And I do not care for such trivial matters." Without so much as a second glance, Vegeta left the kitchen, heading in the direction of the GR.

"I ran into the Frieza Force the other day," Gohan yelled.

Vegeta froze.

Erasa sighed, doodling across her notes with a highlighter. Finally, their teacher dismissed them, and the blonde girl practically dragged her best friend out of the classroom.

"Spill, Videl," she said. "What was up with that alien invasion yesterday? It's all anyone can talk about."

Videl glanced around the courtyard, checking that no one else was in earshot.

"You're not gonna believe this," the girl said, "but Gohan is the Gold Fighter."

Erasa nearly squealed. "Oh my gosh, he finally told you?"

"Told me?" Videl asked, stepping back. "What do you mean? You mean- he told you?"

The colour drained from Erasa's face as she saw the look of betrayal. "No, Videl, of course not!" she said, panicking. "I found out by accident. I walked in on him while we were at Capsule Corp!"

"Seriously, Erasa?" Videl seethed. "You knew, and you didn't tell me?"

"He asked me not to!" Erasa argued. "Please, Videl, just listen-"

"No, not you, too," Videl said, shaking her head. "I can't do this again."

Thin fingers wrapped around Videl's forearm and the pigtailed girl sighed.

"V, we've been friends since forever," Erasa pleaded. "The least you could do is listen to me."

After what felt like an eternity, Videl turned around.

"Let's go to the roof."

Vegeta frowned, the expression quite natural for his hard features.

"I don't recall a Commander Sorbet," he said, deep in thought. "Though I can only imagine what dregs of the Frieza Force are now in charge with the lizard and his lackeys all dead."

"But do you think they'll come back here?" Gohan pressed.

The Saiyan shrugged. "Probably," he said carelessly. "Not that they'd be an issue for us."

"Vegeta, they want the dragon balls!" The teen reminded. "What if they wish for something crazy, like immortality? Then we'll never defeat them."

Vegeta looked at the boy oddly. "That's rich. I didn't think you'd take after that clown Kakarot in terms of intelligence, not with all the studying the harpy makes you do," he said.

"What?" Gohan asked, unsure of what he had missed.

"Isn't it obvious?" The man scoffed. "They intend to bring Frieza back to life."

Videl searched the ground between her feet for answers. Finding none, she looked back to her best friend.

"He wanted to be normal, Videl," Erasa explained patiently. The wind whipped her short blonde hair across her round face, but for once, she didn't seem to care. "He didn't ask to have those powers. But he has them, and he's trying to help make the world a better place while living his own life."

"I don't understand," Videl said. While she had thoroughly calmed down, she just couldn't comprehend why Erasa had so readily agreed to hide this from her. "I still don't understand why you went along with it. Why you agreed to keep it a secret."

"I think it's because I've been around you for so long," Erasa replied, much to Videl's surprise. "I see you help people all the time, all while trying to live a somewhat normal life. I mean, you have friends and you go to a public school like me and Sharpener. Sure, you're rich and have housekeepers, but you still insist on making your own bed every morning. Heck, you don't even care for the fame and recognition when crimefighting. So why do you keep insisting that you and Gohan are so different?"

Swallowing hard, Videl mumbled, "I guess it just hurts. It hurts that the only people I've ever trusted have kept all this from me. You, my dad, and then Gohan…"

"I did it to protect Gohan, and Gohan only did it to protect you."

"And what about my dad?" Videl demanded. "Who was he protecting?"

She watched as the blonde grew eerily serious. "Videl, if your dad didn't actually kill Cell, imagine what the rest of the world would do," she said. "Yeah, he lied. But the fact that he's kept it up this long…"

The Satan girl felt tears stinging as the realization struck her. "Everyone would be so mad," she said, breathless. "The people who try to kill me on a regular basis would be nothing. And yet… Gohan kept my dad's secret."

"Probably to protect you," Erasa nodded, smiling softly as her friend's eyes filled with rare tears.

"And the tricks," Videl continued, her mind racing. "If everyone knew they were real…" she thought back to how she had reacted to the Gold Fighter's awesome power. "Everyone would live in fear."

"Well, I didn't think about it that way," Erasa said, placing a comforting hand on Videl's shoulder. "I always thought Cell was scary, even just on the TV. I remember having nightmares about it for weeks! But if all the stuff he did was real, and not tricks- if I had known that was all real at 11 years old, I don't think the nightmares would have ever stopped."

Another nightmare left him gasping for air. It had been several days since he had spoken with Vegeta, yet no one had been able to locate the dragon ball radar thus far. And Gohan's nightmares had only gotten worse.

On this particular night, he had dreamt of Imperfect Cell's long, cold tail wrapping around his throat. He tried to fight the inferior being as Frieza watched in amusement, but the little boy never quite managed to break the android's grip. And then the teenage Videl had come in her yellow jet copter, expecting to save the day. In all of his dreams so far- no matter which past foe he fought- every scenario ended the same.

The implosive blast that killed Krillin on Namek flashed through his mind, except Videl took the bald man's place. Closing his eyes, Gohan could feel the power pulsing through Frieza's finger as the proud teenage girl drifted upwards. No matter how hard she fought, she was never truly able to fathom the raw power she had tried to face. The fear in her eyes shook his dreamself to the core.

And every time she died, he went Super Saiyan for the first time.

"Could I have Gohan's homework?" Videl asked politely as she could. "I'd like to stop by his house and give it to him while he's out. I take it he's not feeling well?"

The teacher looked at her funny. "I'm sorry, Miss Videl, I thought you two were friends," the old man said. "I thought he would've told you."

"Told me what?" Videl smiled through clenched teeth, a small amount of anger simmering beneath her polite façade. What else was she the last to know about?

"I'm afraid Son Gohan is no longer attending school here," the teacher informed her with a sad look. "His mother mentioned something about the curriculum not being challenging enough, and quite frankly, I'm inclined to believe her. That boy is special."

"He sure is," the girl muttered, eye twitching.

She said her goodbyes before running straight to the main office. Unfortunately, her trip was a waste. Gohan's personal information had been taken out of the student registry after his unenrollment. And since he hadn't been answering her calls, she didn't have very many options left.

She fumed as she marched outside to take off in her jet copter. She was jumping through too many damn hoops so she could properly apologise to the boy. She needed to fix things and Videl Satan wasn't exactly known for her patience.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Bulma screamed.

The boy stood shame-faced before her. After days of searching, Bulma had finally located the dragon ball radar in her son's bedroom.

"We have a possible alien invasion on the horizon," she stressed, looking at her son. "And you decided to steal the world's failsafe?"

"How was I supposed to know trouble was coming?" Trunks complained.

She sighed. "What were you and Goten even going to wish for, anyway?" She asked.

"I dunno," he said, rolling his eyes. "We obviously didn't get that far."

"Go to the GR," Bulma huffed. "Your father can deal with you."

The boy began to groan, but silenced himself with a scowl. "Her again?" He grumbled. "Why does she keep coming here? Is she Gohan's girlfriend or something?"

"What are you-" Bulma gasped as her child's words registered. Nudging the boy in the direction of the GR, she then ran down the hallway to reach the front door.

"Uh… hi," Videl said, her hand still raised. She hasn't been expecting the door to open before she could even knock.

"Come in!" Bulma said, pulling the girl inside. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"It's about Gohan."

The older woman sighed. "Yeah, I figured," she said. "How are you holding up? I know it's a lot of information to process."

Videl put a hand to her temple, as if to steady herself. "It hurts my head to try and understand it all," she admitted. "But right now I just really need to talk to Gohan and let him know I don't hate him. And then we can figure out what to so from there."

Bulma nodded. "Right. But why are you here?" she asked. "Not that I don't want you here, it's just that he isn't here right now."

"I know, but I don't know where he lives," the girl sighed. "He dropped out of school and hasn't been answering my calls. I figured you'd know how I can get to his house, especially if it's in the middle of nowhere like he says it is."

"Middle of nowhere," Bulma laughed. "That's putting it lightly. Do you know where the Ox Kingdom is?"

After receiving a nod in confirmation, Bulma pulled a pad and pen out of her lab coat. "Start off in that direction," she said, scribbling down some numbers. "These are the coordinates of his home."

She ripped the piece of paper out of her small notepad and Videl accepted it with gratitude. "Oh, and just be sure to lay it on thick with Gohan's mom in terms of manners," Bulma added. "She's kind of old-fashioned."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Videl absently yelled, already out the door.

Bulma simply grinned, amused at the girl's attitude.

"I don't find your attitude amusing, missy!"

"Look, lady, I just came to talk to your damn son!" Videl yelled in frustration. "I didn't come here to get an ear full!"

Chi-Chi growled, her hands digging into her hips. "You must be that persistent little girl who keeps our phone busy! If I had known you were a hussy, I would've changed our phone number sooner."

"I am not a hussy," Videl snapped. "And I'm not a little girl, either. I already told you. I'm Gohan's girlfriend, and I need to speak to him right now!"

The older woman scoffed. "Like I would believe that my sweet boy could ever be friends with you, let alone more than friends!"

The girl smirked as a plan for vengeance shaped in her mind.

"Well, he doesn't seem to mind my attitude when we're alone," she said, shrugging. "In fact, he can't seem to keep his hand off me!"

At the insinuation, smoke practically flew from Chi-Chi's ears. "My Gohan is a gentleman!" she yelled, pointing a long finger at the teenager. "He would never do such a thing!"

"I don't really mind that big, swirling scar on his left shoulder, though," Videl continued, making the mother's eyes widen in surprise. She would never forget seeing that mark for the first time on her 11-year-old son's body.

"After all," Videl added with a sinister grin, "I had more important things on my mind with his head stuck between my boobs."

The girl looked satisfied as Chi-Chi's face turned blistering red, and a vein started to pop on her forehead.

"Oh, it's you!" Goten interrupted, appearing from the house with a cordless phone wrapped around his chubby fingers. He ran to hug Videl around the legs.

"Trunks said you and Gohan like each other," he giggled, gesturing to the phone. "When you two get married, does that mean you're gonna be my new sister?"

Ignoring the Son matriarch, who nearly choked on her tongue in outrage, Videl looked down at the little boy. "Where's your brother, Goten?" she asked, ignoring his innocent question. "It's really, really important that I talk to him."

Goten cocked his head. He was silent for a moment before he spoke again, his eyes lighting up. "Ooh, he's in the city getting ready to fight!"

"What?" Chi-Chi demanded. "Who is he fighting?"

"He's all powered up," Goten continued, growing more excitedly by the second. "And there's some really strong bad guys with him. They don't feel human, though."

Videl scrambled to catch Chi-Chi as the woman fainted. "What do you mean they're not human? And how do you know all this?" she said, not sure why her instincts told her Goten was being truthful.

He smiled, proud of himself. "I can sense their energy," he said matter-of-factly.

Before Videl could further interrogate the boy, her communicator watch rang. "Chief?" she inquired, never taking her eyes off Goten, who was gently fanning his mother.

"We need your help," the chief gasped. "There's more of them, Videl! More strange men like the Gold Fighter! He's fighting them off as best as they can, but-"

The chief choked for a moment before responding. "Several buildings have already fallen, Videl. These guys- the tricks they're using are insanely powerful. The Gold Fighter has already lost his left arm. I don't know if he'll make it…"

Her heart grew cold as she realised she would never make it back to the city in time to help out. And tears brimmed around her blue eyes as she realized she actually wouldn't be able to make a difference regardless.

"We need you, Videl," the chief said, straining to be heard over the various screams and explosions in the background. "I hate to involve you in such a dangerous situation, but we need you. And we need your father."

"My father… can't make it," Videl lied. "We're five hours away, in the mountains. We'll never get there in time to help."

The chief sputtered in shock.

Videl opened the door to the Son residence as she spoke.

"Don't worry... I trust the Gold Fighter to handle this."


	11. Chapter 11: Defend

Commander Sorbet grinned viciously as the golden man's left arm plummeted to the ground.

Twitching in annoyance, Gohan tore the cape from his shoulders, knowing he couldn't afford the off-chance that the material could be used against him. These men weren't ordinary thugs. They were the surviving members of the Frieza Force- the most highly trained thugs on this side of the known universe. Nearly three thousand of them dotted the bright sky, awaiting further orders.

The half-Saiyan warrior had already dispatched nearly sixty men, but he had been quickly overwhelmed by sheer numbers alone. And despite the Z-Fighters arrival just moments ago, he wasn't sure if they could truly make a difference in this battle.

Not without killing every human in the area, anyway.

Tearing off his now fluttering left sleeve, Sorbet eyed the boy's exposed stub with obvious delight. Hope instilling him, he quickly rallied his soldiers. "You see?" He shouted. "The Saiyan warrior isn't so invincible as he would have us believe."

Ruthless laughter filled the air as Krillin was sent hurtling toward the ground, his opponent quickly overtaking him. "And his companions are hardly fit to be a match," Sorbet continued. "Descend, soldiers, and fight- fight for Lord Frieza!"

"For Lord Frieza!" The aliens bellowed, flying straight toward Earth's special forces.

Vegeta came flying through the debris, punching one soldier in half with little effort. Arm still outstretched, a second and third troop grabbed onto the Saiyan before hauling him to the ground with a loud thud. Despite recovering almost instantly, he found himself crowded by nearly a hundred more. And for every puny creature he killed, two more seemed to take their place.

The city had quickly become a battlefield and, despite their best attempts at fleeing, several hundred humans still stood in imminent danger. Their minds reeled as they screamed and cowered, trying to scatter like cockroaches. Several soldiers broke off from the main assault to slaughter the unempowered bystanders. Tien and Chiaotzu found themselves sandwiched between the innocent and the guilty as the best friends fought to prevent senseless slaughter.

Roshi, after only using his famed Kamehameha Wave once, suffered several grievous energy blasts to the back. The elderly man soon found himself face down on the pavement, bleeding and unable to help further. Krillin rushed to his master's side, and upon finding signs of life, he hid the old man in an alley a few blocks away. Hoping his mentor would stay out of the remaining fight, the small man rushed back to the downtown area. He immediately located his wife by sight and raced over to assist her, though she held her own quite well.

Piccolo had lost a foot and part of his calf to a large, yellow soldier. He continued to fight, but knew he couldn't keep up his assault forever. "Bulma," he growled.

Startled, the blue-haired scientist straightened in her seat. "Piccolo? Is that you?"

He grimaced as her shrill voice distracted him, and he received a devastating punch while trying to block a different attack. "Send Trunks," he demanded through a tentative telepathetic link. "Send him to gather the-"

The mental link was severed as a soldier pummeled him from behind, rattling his skull and breaking his concentration.

"What? Where are you?" Bulma asked, noticing how strange her friend sounded. He was usually gruff and vague, but this sounded… strained. Worried, she pulled her phone from the front pocket of her lab coat. As she saw the outrageous news alerts on her phone, her son skidded to a halt in the doorway.

"Mom, what's going on?" He shouted, eyes narrowing in imitation of his father. "Dad left and told me not to follow him, but I can feel everybody fighting in Satan City."

Bulma cursed loudly and whirled to face Trunks. "Piccolo," she said, much to his confusion. She paused, realizing Piccolo had left her consciousness. Alone with her boy, she handed him the dragon ball radar. "I need you to collect the dragon balls," she demanded.

"But you said not to-"

"Not now, Trunks!" She yelled, leaving little room for argument. "The situation has changed. Collect them as fast as you can and bring them to the lookout. I'm trusting you Trunks. I need you to do this by yourself- no distractions. I'll meet you there. Now, hurry!"

Nodding, the boy opened a window and blasted away from Capsule Corp. Though disappointed in not being able to fight, he reasoned the faster he completed this task, the sooner he could join the fray.

Against his mother's wishes, he flashed his energy in an odd pattern, gaining the attention of a little boy in the isolated countryside.

Videl watched in horror as Goten nearly broke down the door on his way out. She screamed after him, but to no avail. Turning back toward the living room, she saw Chi-Chi still asleep on the couch.

Sighing, the teenager returned to the armchair as the massacre unfolded on live television.

Several minutes passed before the camera found the Gold Fighter once more. On the edge of her seat, Videl watched in awe as Gohan cut down foe after foe. The chief had been somewhat correct in his observation- the Gold Fighter now lacked an arm. Though, Videl reasoned that he probably wouldn't have fought with the prosthetic anyway.

Seeing him so closely resembling the Gohan she had grown to love stirred something deep within her. She couldn't help but feel proud of his noble actions, yet she was worried. He and his friends were clearly the superior warriors, yet this alien force compensated for quality in terms of quantity. Gohan and the others seemed to be taking more hits than they should be. This was truly their first battle royale.

The camera zoomed in on her boyfriend's handsome face, and Videl's eyes grew as she saw the results of his exertion. For the first time, she saw sweat beading his hairline, pasting one thick bang of yellow hair to his forehead. His green sash had been burnt long ago, and with his cape discarded, he now fought only in a battered black bodysuit. Every muscle beneath his stomach and upper arm jumped as he raised a hand over his head. With deadly force, his axe handle punch landed against his opponent's skull. The blue-tentacled alien crashed to the ground, though whether dead or unconscious, Videl couldn't tell. Approximately a quarter of the entire force had been taken care of, and it was just over an hour since the battle had begun. The tension seemed to leave her body as she realized they were winning. The Earthlings were winning, slowly, but surely!

When a new warrior flew across the screen, Videl nearly tore the hair from her scalp.

Goten crashed into several members of the Frieza Force, sending them tumbling back into the building behind them. The tall structure collapsed under the assault, throwing yet another cloud of dust and debris into the crowded airspace.

The boy merely laughed, relishing the taste of his first battle. "Trunks was right," he thought. "This is so much fun! I can't wait for him to hurry up and get here."

Gohan whipped around, sending his current enemy spiraling into the distance. He would recognize that laugh anywhere.

"Goten!" He screamed. "Goten, get out of here!" The boy in question saw his older brother and waved in greeting.

"I'm here to help-" his high voice was cut off as a resounding crack cut through Gohan's eardrums. He watched helplessly as he flew at top speed toward his falling brother. Upon seeing the blood, Goten's assailant quickly moved on to find his next challenge.

Catching him just a few feet from the ground, Gohan stumbled into a kneeling position on the now-bloodied pavement.

"No, no, no," the teenager rambled, beginning to panic. Of all the biology and anatomy he had studied, and of all the first aid he had both seen and practised throughout countless battles, he couldn't think of what to do. Setting the boy on the ground, Gohan just stared at his brother's limp body, not a single thought burning in his mind.

He could only watch as his brother lost more blood through the gash in the back of his head, and Gohan's hand trembled as he realized he didn't know how to help. He could only feel the rage and sorrow and desperation flooding his veins as his most primitive instincts took control of him.

"GOTEN!" He cried at the top of his lungs. His power skyrocketed, and the teenager's hair flashed through several shades of gold. Deep snarls escaped his tightly-clenched teeth. His shoulders shook and he felt an enormous amount of energy drowning out the rest of his senses. He struggled to pour some of that energy into his brother, but before he knew it, more kept slipping out.

Thinking his pupil faced a greater danger, Piccolo felt a surge of strength course through him as he blasted through the warrior in front of him. Gohan needed him! Lips pulled back, his sharp fangs shone as the protective Namekian shot toward his best friend.

Piccolo staggered as he landed, instantly hit with an invisible surge of energy. Gohan screamed violently as blue bolts of electricity crackled around him, the ascension doing nothing to quell his still-rising power. Every lifeform on the battlefield stopped in their tracks, grimacing as the young half-Saiyan shuddered. Several Z-Fighters cried out in shock as Gohan's very lifeforce battered their minds. Despite most of the alien invaders not being able to sense energy without scouters, they too could feel the deep pounding inside their heads growing to unbearable levels. Those skilled in telepathy, such as Piccolo and Chiaotzu, were hit the hardest as sharp pain infiltrated the deepest recesses of their brains.

Trunks froze in amazement as he felt the power from the lookout. His mother, unaware of Gohan's distress, snatched the dragon balls from his gi top. Dende stood completely still next to Mr. Popo, eyes shut tightly.

Clouds blew past them and waves crashed below them as the entire planet felt the change in Gohan. The high winds battered the remaining buildings in Satan City, and the reporters whose cameras had somehow survived thus far promptly found themselves knocked off their feet. Just moments later, their remaining equipment exploded, and glass rained from above as windows shattered in the wake of Gohan's screams.

His throat nearly raw, Gohan's fury had not met its end. At an agonizing pace, Piccolo blanched as he witnessed the golden locks of hair begin to grow.

With one last flash blinding light, Gohan's energy finally stabilized at the third level of Super Saiyan.

He stood, his knee-length golden hair drifting haphazardly behind him. Turning his head ever so slightly, his dilated eyes met the terrified gaze of Commander Sorbet, nearly 200 feet away.

The Prince of Saiyans fell to the ground as Gohan charged into the fray. Vegeta watched in astonishment when the son of a low-class Saiyan massacred over two thousand remaining members of the Frieza Force, quite literally single-handedly.

And within just a minute and a half, bodies lay strewn over every surface in Satan City.

Bulma nearly jumped out of her skin as a man with long, blonde hair landed on the lookout. Before she could demand an explanation, he collapsed before them, holding a bloody bundle wrapped up a Namekian's previously white cape.

"Gohan!" Dende shouted, running toward his oldest friend.

"Gohan?" Bulma asked, not quite believing her eyes. She had been just moments from summoning Shenron when her son told her the battle had suddenly ended. And now they both knew how.

His hair faded to black as the locks receded into his skull. Mr. Popo promptly rested Gohan's head in his black hands while Dende healed Goten.

Trunks ran to his best friend, the guilt nearly consuming him. He held the other boy's hand while a soft light glowed from beneath the Guardian's hands. Goten blinked awake, seeing watery blue eyes watching him closely.

"Trunks?"

"Goten! I'm so sorry, Goten!" With one swift movement, Trunks dragged the boy to his feet to fully embrace him. Goten giggled, not sure what was going on, but liking the affectionate change in his friend nonetheless.

As Dende finished healing Gohan, several pairs of feet resounded lightly across porcelain tiles.

"They're okay," Krillin sighed in relief. A sense of calm washed over the remaining Z-Fighters upon seeing the Son boys both alive and well. Gohan's eyes fluttered open, and he quickly joined Trunks in embracing Goten. Before long, the small moment turned into a joyous group hug, tears of reassurance spilling from many eyes upon the lookout.

Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo stood off to the side, waiting patiently for the celebration to come to a conclusion. Piccolo rested a hand on the young Namekian's shoulder.

"Thank you, Dende," he said.

No longer able to hold his composure, Dende wrapped his arms around his predecessor's waist. With a sigh, Piccolo allowed the contact, musing that the world would be much less interesting if everyone was dead.


	12. Chapter 12: Beginning

Chi-Chi nearly suffocated her children as they walked through the front door.

"Mom, we're alright," Gohan promised her.

"Yeah, Mommy, Dende made us as good as new!" Goten piped up.

"Remind me to thank him later," she mumbled into Gohan's chest, her sobs calming as she confirmed that her sons had indeed survived.

As the small family separated, Gohan nearly fell over as he realized Videl had been standing behind his mother the entire time.

"Videl?" He yelled in surprise.

Eyes narrowing, Chi-Chi pushed a finger into her oldest son's hard chest. "You've got some explaining to do, Mister!" She screeched. In between her fainting spell and the Son boys' return home, the woman had found herself growing quite fond of the Satan girl.

Gohan gulped. "What do you mean?" He said, a bit confused.

"I am so disappointed in you, Gohan, trying to seduce this wonderful young lady!"

"What?!" He shouted, wild eyes looking toward an equally-embarrassed Videl. She hadn't planned on her angry words backfiring as she eventually befriended the older woman. Gohan frantically moved his hand back and forth, trying to dissuade his mother. "I would never, Mom, I swear!"

Pushing Goten into the kitchen, Chi-Chi fumed. Upon catching the scent of freshly-baked cookies, he didn't protest. Once he was out of sight, the mother spat, "Did you or did you not have premarital sex?"

Sputtering, Gohan assured his mother that they had not gotten that far in their physical relationship. He was suitably abashed as she pressed for details, and he was forced to clarify exactly what he had done.

Still miffed at her son, Chi-Chi turned to smile kindly at the young woman behind her. "Videl, dear, are you staying for dinner?" She asked. "I know you have a private chef, but I promise you've never had anything as delicious as my stir fry."

"Ah, maybe another time," Videl squeaked. "But before I leave, I really should go talk to your son. That's what I came here for, remember?"

"Of course," the mother replied. She turned to her son. "But no more funny business- you either talk on the front lawn, or you don't talk at all!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Gohan said, practically yanking Videl's arm off as he escorted her outside. Eager to bury the mortified memory of declaring himself a virgin repeatedly to his mother, all in front of his crush, the boy was eager for some fresh air.

"I love you, Gohan," Videl declared as soon as the front door was shut.

Stopping in place, Gohan looked at her, shocked. "But- what? I thought you- Videl, you don't hate me?"

She sighed. "I hate that you've kept secrets," she said. "And I hate that you've lied. But no, I don't hate you, Son Gohan."

His eyebrows rose in surprise as she stepped closer to him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I bothered you so much as the Gold Fighter, and I'm sorry that my father calls you and your friends tricksters. And I'm sorry that we're one of the richest families in the world when you're living with a single mother who barely gets by."

Stunned, Gohan let her sleep talking as he racked his brain for a response.

"And I'm sorry I broke up with you," she said. "I was angry that everyone had kept the truth about Cell a secret from me. And your power just scared me, so badly. But then I saw you on TV. I've never seen anyone fight like that. You saved us all, Gohan- again. You protect life at all costs, and I don't think I could ever thank you enough for that."

"That's my job, Videl," he explained softly. "It was my father's job, and I took up the mantle when he died. I will never, ever turn my back on those who need me."

"Well, I need you, Gohan," she gushed.

"I love you too, Miss Satan," he whispered, before stooping to kiss her.

"I guess fighting and kissy-kissy do go together, huh, Mom?" Goten inquired, watching with disgust from the living room window.

Chi-Chi sighed in defeat, but couldn't help but reminisce on her relationship with Goku. "Yes... I suppose they do."


End file.
